wunderkind
Americannoun
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a wonder child or child prodigy.
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a person who succeeds, especially in business, at a comparatively early age.
noun
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a child prodigy
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a person who is exceptionally successful in his field while still young
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wunderkind
1890–95; < German, equivalent to Wunder wonder + Kind child
Explanation
A wunderkind is someone who achieves a huge amount of success at a young age. Publish a bestselling novel before you turn 14 and everyone will be calling you a wunderkind. If you think this word looks a lot like "wonder kid," you're on the right track — the German Wunderkind means "wonder-child." It initially described musical prodigies like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who composed his first piece of music at the age of five. Today you can use it for any amazing young person, like your six-year-old cousin who does crazy skateboard tricks or the student in math class who rapidly solves equations that stump her teacher.
Vocabulary lists containing wunderkind
Words Derived from German
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Off the Record
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The building is home to young, midsize tech companies like Wunderkind and Undertone, which have pumped up their own pantries, sometimes making them the centerpiece of the office.
From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2023
The adolescent Wunderkind Korngold has little love for losers.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2019
Wunderkind organist Cameron Carpenter was also involved, and the result, dynamic and intensely visual, was as much a piece of theatre as it was a concert.
From The Guardian • Jul. 9, 2013
"It gets way better" news of the day: Wunderkind Chris Colfer of "Glee" signed a two-book deal with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2011
He also called her the Wunderkind, and set her eager feet, still in their white socks and button shoes, on the steep path that leads up the Hill of Glory.
From The Devourers by Chartres, Annie Vivanti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
