baby 1 of 3

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2
3
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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

baby

2 of 3

verb

baby

3 of 3

adjective

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of baby
Verb
For me, my character’s heart was truly genuine in only wanting to protect and save that baby. Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025 Diaper access keeps babies healthy, parents employed and families afloat. Amy Kadens, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
Adjective
The sensitive child of the bunch doesn’t need to be babied. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 28 Nov. 2023 Plus, judging by Dustin May, Walker Buehler and many others, babying a pitcher doesn’t seem too effective. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2023 See All Example Sentences for baby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baby
Noun
  • That may involve preventing children from accessing the entire site or app, or only some parts or kinds of content.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2025
  • Rihanna and her children, Riot Rose Mayers and RZA Athelston Mayers, arrive in style at the Los Angeles premiere of Paramount Pictures' Smurfs on July 13.
    Toria Sheffield, People.com, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • Still, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that about 34 people a day in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 42 minutes.
    Josh Max, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • Six other vacant roles have also since been eliminated, the person said.
    Sports Editor Follow, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • The Frozen Zoo has notched some reproductive breakthroughs over the years, including in 2023 when researchers were able to successfully freeze sunflower sea star sperm, thaw it and fertilize eggs that resulted in larvae developing with a high rate of success.
    Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2025
  • In our current complex global economy, success will belong to enterprises built to thrive amid volatility, not those waiting for the turbulence to pass.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • Rebekka Card was nursing her 4-month-old son, Hayden, when the unthinkable happened.
    Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 5 July 2025
  • When plants fail to perform as expected, gardeners often reach for fertilizer or the watering hose, trying to nurse plants into production.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
Adjective
  • Its off-axis viewing is just OK, but its mini LED backlight does a good job of creating crisp images and deep blacks.
    Simon Hill, Wired News, 12 July 2025
  • Each piece should include every ingredient — mini pizzas in themselves.
    John Tuohy, IndyStar, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • Blake’s parents, wife and infant daughter are joining him, while Swanson mentioned his whole family is tagging along.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 14 July 2025
  • This program sequenced the genomes of 100,000 infants to screen for over 200 rare, treatable genetic conditions.
    William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • The Wimbledon men's final between three-time Grand Slam winner Sinner and Alcaraz (a five-time Grand Slam champ) comes less than two months after Alcaraz stormed back from a huge deficit to win the French Open in five sets on June 8.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
  • One man told his wife that detainees go days without getting showers.
    Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • More precisely, the guest list was a delicate trigonometric reflection of the couple’s affections with a very strong quotient of the regard in which the business accomplishments of the groom are held.
    Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Although Oak Park resident Harriet Hawkins is nothing but humble when asked about her accomplishments, her son and husband have no doubts why the longtime nurse, nurse educator and mission volunteer has been chosen for the 2025 Judith C. Kelleher Award by the Emergency Nurses Association.
    Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Baby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baby. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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