baby 1 of 3

Definition of babynext
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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

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verb

baby

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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
Noun
Nick’s young girlfriend, who admits to being pregnant with her dead lover’s baby right before the credits roll. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 May 2026 Bryant and Larson both master the sexy-robot-baby intonation of a very particular strain of 2000s pop, making the displacement doubly funny. Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
Verb
Jean’s mama reproached her for not having been more careful and babied Wole, ordering him to remove his T-shirt and retrieving an aloe lotion, telling him to stretch out on the couch and instructing Jean to spread it over the tender areas. David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025 So the big question now is, which type of football will baby Gianna grow up to play, if at all? Sari Hitchins, Parents, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for baby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baby
Noun
  • Whether a minor or an adult, that child has lost a parent and has a right to mourn and needs the mother to be there.
    Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
  • More strikes were reported in southern Lebanon earlier today, with the country’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reporting that civil defense teams recovered the bodies of four people, including children, after an airstrike hit a residential house in the town of Adloun.
    Alayna Treene, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Noun
  • State health departments will continue to conduct daily symptom monitoring, as well as 24/7 continuous oversight of each person, and provide guidance through the remainder of the 42-day monitoring period, which will end June 21.
    Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
  • It is made for an on-the-go business person or visitor who wants to maximize their time in the Bay Area.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • When the Red Sox made the playoffs last year the belief was the club had finally taken the next step back toward sustained success and that their five-year rebuild was over.
    Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
  • Four quarters of defensive dominance more than offset one quarter of offensive success for the Lynx on Friday night.
    Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 30 May 2026
Noun
  • However, the Lakers are complainers to begin with and have always gotten a favorable whistle.
    David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
  • The pervasive popularity of the show and its creator will be the reason the complainers have no voice.
    Rich Heldenfels, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Bobby Brown, a fellow 2025 arrival, is nursing a minor calf injury as well, which has given Jackson the opportunity for extended reps with the top trench unit.
    Mike Kaye May 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026
  • Forward Jacob Shaffelburg is nursing a muscle concern, too.
    Josh Gross, Daily News, 25 May 2026
Adjective
  • The hotel has indoor and outdoor pools, basketball and tennis courts, mini golf, and a free shuttle to Hersheypark.
    Dave Parfitt, USA Today, 30 May 2026
  • Shakira rocks a bold orange mini dress for an ISIMA event during Miami Swim Week on May 28.
    People Staff, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
Noun
  • Police discovered Broussard's 2-week-old baby girl unharmed inside the Texas residence, later learning that Fieramusca had presented the infant as her own to her ex-boyfriend, Christopher Green, per Fox 7.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
  • Season 2 also doesn’t reset, instead charging forward with implausible quarterly vacations and Nick as a main character in absentia, which leaves a sizable Steve Carell-sized hole with only an unspeaking infant to fill the void.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 May 2026
Noun
  • The scene was genuinely awful to watch, but the movie—a story of plague, passion, period costumes, and an unwashed man in a tunic skipping town to cure writer’s block—ended up thrilling us; the portrayal of two creative minds working together (and apart) was, oddly, familiar.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
  • Images from a Ring security camera show a man, whom the restraining order request identifies as Applegate, at Carpenter’s front door and being confronted by a security guard with a flashlight.
    Dennis Romero, NBC news, 2 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Baby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baby. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.

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