infancy

noun

in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən(t)-sē 

plural infancies

1

: early childhood

2

: a beginning or early period of existence

3

: the legal status of an infant

Examples of infancy in a Sentence

She was often sick during her infancy.

a skill developed in infancy

She has been a member of the church since its infancy.

Recent Examples on the Web

The battery storage plant was built in 2019 when the technology was in its infancy, constructed in a huge concrete warehouse that housed a former 1950s-era PG&E oil and gas-burning power plant. —Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025

With that ancient ticket stub, McCaskey also had a portal back to the infancy of pro football and the league her father, George Halas, imagined, founded, built and, in those earliest years, exerted great effort to grow. —Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025

Formed in 2007 in upstate New York, Phantogram began building a career at a time when social media was in its infancy, the iPhone was less than a year old and album sales hadn’t yet cratered. —Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 7 Feb. 2025

Swift is very much in the infancy of his MMA career having only had four fights to date – with another coming up on March 8. —Don Riddell, CNN, 2 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing infancy

• in one's infancy

Kids Definition

infancy

noun

in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən-sē 

plural infancies

1

: early childhood

2

: a beginning or early period of existence

Medical Definition

infancy

noun

in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən-sē 

plural infancies

1

: early childhood

2

: the legal status of an infant

Legal Definition

infancy

noun

in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən-sē 

plural infancies

1

: the legal status of an infant : minority

2

: the affirmative defense of lacking legal capacity (as to make a contract or commit a crime) because of being too young and especially because one's age is below an age set by statute