wunderkind

noun

wun·​der·​kind ˈvu̇n-dər-ˌkint How to pronounce wunderkind (audio)
plural wunderkinder ˈvu̇n-dər-ˌkin-dər How to pronounce wunderkind (audio)
: a child prodigy
also : one who succeeds in a competitive or highly difficult field or profession at an early age

Examples of wunderkind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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From his days as the young wunderkind making headlines with his brothers in the Jackson 5 to astounding folks the world over as an adult, Jackson was unequivocally one of the greatest performers ever. Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2025 But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness). Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 May 2025 Once celebrated as a crypto wunderkind, Bankman-Fried was exposed for misappropriating billions of dollars in customer funds to support his own trading firm, Alameda Research, and for living an extravagant lifestyle in Hong Kong and later the Bahamas. Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 8 May 2025 Over the quarter century since Fey broke out as an SNL wunderkind, the 54-year-old created and starred in 30 Rock, produced six other TV series, starred in more than a dozen films and wrote Mean Girls. Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wunderkind

Word History

Etymology

German, from Wunder wonder + Kind child

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wunderkind was in 1873

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Cite this Entry

“Wunderkind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wunderkind. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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