FOUNDLING Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

foundling

noun

Definition of foundling

as in suckling

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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 foundling The connection between the films goes far beyond the presence of a foundling. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 When Heathcliff, a foundling, discovers that Cathy Earnshaw, the daughter of the impoverished Yorkshire lord who’s taken him in, has played a prank on him by putting eggs in his beds to be crushed, the boy plunges his fingers into the slippery puddle of yolk and albumen left behind. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026 Cathy might be as uninhibited as Heathcliff when roaming the outdoors, but a woman of her status can’t be allowed to marry a foundling, especially one who now works for her family as a servant. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026 The idea for the Innocenti began in medieval times and required more than a century of plans, donations, and negotiations before the arrival of its first trovatello, foundling. — Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025 There were grim meetings with every male foundling who landed on the streets or showed up at city hospitals. — Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 3 May 2025 But Mufasa's welcome is no kinder than the reception Dickens doled out to the foundlings scattered throughout his novels. — Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024 Clementine seems a foundling in need of any stable influence, while in her spookily near-complete isolation (there’s no hint of contact with friends or family), Kelly-Anne could use a little basic humanizing. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Sep. 2024 The tiny foundling — so small the women could scoop it up by hand — means that there is at least one breeding pair in the area. — Freda Kreier, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for foundling

Noun

Count on a lunchtime carving station, with a chef slicing everything from a giant roast beef haunch to whole suckling pig.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026
It’s known for traditional cuisine, especially its roasted suckling pig.

— Nuno Gonçalo Correia, Travel + Leisure, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of suckling

Noun

Owls, bats and dragons drawn from Chinese mythology seem suspended inside transparent spheres, while cherub-like children run in circles.

— Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Gordon is cherub-faced, with low affect, speaks in a laconic and analytic style, and has a wry and elusive smile.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026

Definition of cherub

Noun

The dramatic lighting and wax museums are just spooky enough to summon the spirit of the witch trials without being off-putting for children.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
In total, the UK spent £145 billion on benefits for working-age people and children – including incapacity and disability benefits (£77 billion); housing benefit (£37 billion); and child benefit (£13 billion).

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of child

Noun

In the winter months of 1973, kids were taking flashlights to the pitch-black bus stops in the morning.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Carmella is also still mad at Vicki for saying that Danny is raising her kids, and Heather is angry after learning that Vicki called her fake in Palm Springs.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of kid

Noun

My boys dropped tennis after high school and are now in a college band together.

— Don Riddell, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
Gilroy provided a detailed backstory for the fictional film, describing a young widow, a wealthy East Coast summer setting and a boy preparing to go to war.

— Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of boy

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“Foundling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foundling. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of foundling

noun

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