To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Definition of pedophilia
: sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object specifically : a psychiatric disorder in which an adult has sexual fantasies about or engages in sexual acts with a prepubescent child
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Name More Food!

- Name that Fruit!

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Name More Food! Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!
Take the quiz
April 2020 Words of the Day Quiz Reminding you that time is, indeed, passing.
Take the quiz
Spell It Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz
Syn City Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.
Play the game
















Share pedophilia
Time Traveler for pedophilia
The first known use of pedophilia was in 1906
See more words from the same year