pedophile
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of pedophile
First recorded in 1950–55; pedo- 1 + -phile, or directly from Greek paidóphilos “loving children”
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.
Michael Jackson’s celebrity is so blinding, his music so compelling, that it cloaks him with an almost impenetrable shield from the truth: He was a stone cold pedophile.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Generally speaking, this is not the way you want the world’s most famous pedophile characterizing you.
From Slate • Nov. 13, 2025
But Reubens just emphasizes that he wants folks to know that he is not a pedophile.
From Salon • Jan. 30, 2025
Other messages allegedly branded the actor “a pedophile defender,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2024
Card’s son also told police that paranoia about strangers calling him a pedophile had become a recurring theme for his father since last winter.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 31, 2023
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.
