BABY Synonyms: 343 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'baby' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of baby are humor , indulge , mollycoddle , pamper , and spoil . While all these words mean "to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings," baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude. // babying students by grading too easily

Q: When might 'humor' be a better fit than 'baby'?

The synonyms humor and baby are sometimes interchangeable, but humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims. // humored him by letting him tell the story

Q: When can 'indulge' be used instead of 'baby'?

The words indulge and baby can be used in similar contexts, but indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires. // indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse

Q: Where would 'mollycoddle' be a reasonable alternative to 'baby'?

The words mollycoddle and baby are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare. // refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

Q: In what contexts can 'pamper' take the place of 'baby'?

In some situations, the words pamper and baby are roughly equivalent. However, pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect. // pampered by the amenities of modern living

Q: When would 'spoil' be a good substitute for 'baby'?

The meanings of spoil and baby largely overlap; however, spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering. // foolish parents spoil their children

baby 1 of 3

noun

ˈbā-bē

Definition of baby next

as in child

a recently born person the baby is just learning to sit up, so be careful

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in person

a member of the human race I don't care what you want, there'll be no more work for this baby today

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in success

a successful result brought about by hard work a small film that was a labor of love and the baby that the director was proudest of

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as in complainer

a person who makes frequent complaints usually about little things don't be such a baby—the shot didn't hurt that much

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

happy camper

baby

2 of 3

verb

as in to nurse

to treat with great or excessive care he babied his car, faithfully washing it every week if you baby him he'll never learn to take care of himself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

baby

3 of 3

adjective

as in mini

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb baby contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of baby are humor, indulge, mollycoddle, pamper, and spoil. While all these words mean "to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings," baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude.

babying students by grading too easily

When might humor be a better fit than baby?

The synonyms humor and baby are sometimes interchangeable, but humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims.

humored him by letting him tell the story

When can indulge be used instead of baby?

The words indulge and baby can be used in similar contexts, but indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires.

indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse

Where would mollycoddle be a reasonable alternative to baby?

The words mollycoddle and baby are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare.

refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

In what contexts can pamper take the place of baby?

In some situations, the words pamper and baby are roughly equivalent. However, pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect.

pampered by the amenities of modern living

When would spoil be a good substitute for baby?

The meanings of spoil and baby largely overlap; however, spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering.

foolish parents spoil their children

Examples of baby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Sharing a series of black-and-white photos taken during labor, Foster revealed the couple are parents to a new baby girl named Noa Mimi Tikhman. —

Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 28 Sep. 2024 The baby was born in this very apartment in May, the result of 20 grueling rounds of IVF over six years. —

Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2024

Verb

The cake symbolizes the three kings bringing gifts to baby Jesus. —

Karla Pope, Good Housekeeping, 24 Jan. 2023 Mandy Moore's son Gus is already the best big brother to baby Ozzie. —

Georgia Slater, Peoplemag, 22 Dec. 2022 See all Example Sentences for baby

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'baby.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.