pedophilia

pe·do·phil·ia | \ ˌpe-də-ˈfi-lē-ə

How to pronounce pedophilia (audio)

, ˌpē-

How to pronounce pedophilia (audio)

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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

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Examples of pedophilia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For Catholics, there is the glaring pedophilia scandal. — Fred Bahnson, Harpers Magazine, "The Gate of Heaven Is Everywhere," 5 Jan. 2021 Trump retweeted the message from an account that sported the slogans and symbols of QAnon, a conspiracy movement that claims Democrats and Hollywood elites are members of an underground pedophilia ring. — oregonlive, "PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year for 2020: Downplaying dangers of coronavirus," 21 Dec. 2020 Child trafficking is a topic that is shared regularly on social media, most energetically in connection with a QAnon conspiracy theory about government involvement in trafficking and pedophilia. — Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY, "Fact check: No evidence child traffickers are tagging cars as potential targets with codes," 12 Sep. 2020 Greene, who campaigns with a sort of aggro cheerfulness, has linked Hillary Clinton to pedophilia and human sacrifice and suggested that Barack Obama plotted to kill a Democratic operative with the help of MS-13. — Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, "How the “QAnon Candidate” Marjorie Taylor Greene Reached the Doorstep of Congress," 9 Oct. 2020 Greece’s current Disability Assessment Application, read via Google Translate, does not include pedophilia or other conditions like pyromania and sadomachism. — Jessica Hill, USA TODAY, "Fact check: Tom Hanks is now a Greek citizen, but pedophilia has nothing to do with it," 12 Mar. 2012 But Trump’s elevation of the false pedophilia claim ensures its place in the firmament of conspiratorial fabrications. — Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, "Why do conspiracy theories about pedophilia hold such sway with some conservatives?," 16 Oct. 2020 QAnon followers have targeted celebrities, politicians and companies seemingly at random with accusations of pedophilia in videos posted to YouTube. — NBC News, "YouTube bans QAnon, other conspiracy content that targets individuals," 15 Oct. 2020 But since the pandemic began, that hashtag has been hijacked by QAnon followers spreading conspiracy theories about rampant pedophilia. — Jessica Grose, New York Times, "Misinformation Is ‘Its Own Pandemic’ Among Parents," 16 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pedophilia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

13 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Pedophilia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedophilia. Accessed 23 Jan. 2021.

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