child-free

adjective

ˈchī(-ə)l(d)-ˈfrē 

variants or less commonly childfree

: without children: such as

a

: not including or allowing children : excluding children

a child-free vacation

Create a 3-foot child-free zone around hot spots like stoves, turkey fryers and ovens …

—The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pennsylvania)

I hoped most of the parents invited to the wedding would consider it a nice "date-night" evening to have with their significant others, child-free.

—Morris (Illinois) Daily Herald

While there have been several U.S.-based petitions for child-free flights, the practice is less likely to seep over into the American market …

—Veronika Bondarenko

b

usually childfree : not having children especially by choice

Where there was once the traditional nuclear family of 2.4 children, we are now seeing an increasing number of people in different family units, whether that be childfree families, single-parent families, step or even extended families.

—Lara Bealing

… choosing to be a mother and choosing to be childfree are both decisions worth celebrating because the celebration is in the fact that a woman chose the trajectory of her life.

—Phoebe Robinson

About two years ago when a promising relationship failed, she resigned herself to not having children and embraced all that is good about being child-free.

—Mike Bruce

There are various reasons why someone would be child-free by choice. Some hold the political idea that with overpopulation and resource shortages, being child-free is the ethical choice.

—Rachel Cargle

compare childless

Examples of child-free in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Brass Tacks The term DINK first gained traction in the 1980s but has seen a resurgence in the era of TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms, where younger couples share their child-free, experience-rich lifestyles. —Anisha Sircar, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Their child-free lifestyle fuels frequent travel and personal growth, with 88% directing their income toward enriching experiences and self-development, while 76% credit their child-free status for enabling these pursuits. —Brooke Seipel, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024

But recent events may be giving the child-free a stronger emotional tie. —Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024

Discuss woes of adult dating and some of my associated grief (denying my parents grandchildren) about choosing a child-free life. —R29 Team, refinery29.com, 23 Oct. 2024

The team may include an elder law attorney, aging life care professional, geriatric social worker, primary care doctor and/or geriatrician, and a financial planner who specializes in the child-free population. —Seraphina Seow, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

The research also found that 48% of parents with children under 18 have a secret savings account, compared with 22% of child-free couples. —Tanyel Mustafa, refinery29.com, 8 Oct. 2024

Redditors weighed in, and the general feeling was that the bride was reasonable for wanting a child-free wedding. —Marina Watts, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024

Suspicion directed at child-free women, women who work, postmenopausal women? —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above