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
  • Central to his story is his birth on the dying planet Krypton and his arrival as an outsider to Kansas, and the creators of the comic, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, are children of European Jewish immigrants.
    Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • The Elmore County Sheriff’s Office and Elmore County paramedics responded to a call at 1:47 p.m. Saturday about an object piercing a windshield and injuring a child, the Sheriff’s Office said Monday in a news release.
    Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • Six other vacant roles have also since been eliminated, the person said.
    Sports Editor Follow, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
  • Officials have increased the reward for information leading to the person who fatally shot a 21-year-old congressional intern in Washington, D.C., last month.
    ABC News, ABC News, 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
  • At Animal Companion Counseling, a nonprofit mental health provider in the West End neighborhood, a couple of furry friends wait for the two sisters every Tuesday, alongside their (human) therapists: Rosie, an energetic golden retriever, and Tiki, a mellow mini golden doodle.
    Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Photo collages in the waiting room show hundreds of patients, from infants to young adults.
    Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 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
  • In August, investigators arrested a 61-year-old Sacramento man suspected of carrying out a string of high-profile burglaries at businesses that month in and near downtown Sacramento.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • Ebert credits his employees with many of the company’s accomplishments.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 July 2025
  • One of his biggest accomplishments was helping form the Minneapolis Urban Coalition after the Plymouth Avenue violence in 1967.
    Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Baby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baby. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.

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