changeling

American  

[cheynj-ling] / ˈtʃeɪndʒ lɪŋ /

noun

1. a child surreptitiously or unintentionally substituted for another.

2. (in folklore) an ugly, stupid, or strange child left by fairies in place of a pretty, charming child.

3. Philately. a postage stamp that, by accident or intention, has been chemically changed in color.

4. Archaic.

   1. a renegade or turncoat.

   2. an imbecile.

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changeling British  

/ ˈtʃeɪndʒlɪŋ /

noun

1. a child believed to have been exchanged by fairies for the parents' true child

2. archaic

   1. an idiot

   2. a fickle or changeable person

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Etymology

Origin of changeling

First recorded in 1545–55; change + -ling ¹

Example Sentences

That metaphor of the outcast changeling, rejected for who she is at her core by a rigid society, earned a loyal following — and accolades, including an Eisner Award and a National Book Award nomination.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2023

Seven recruits him to help find the changeling, which is, on its face, a great idea.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2023

A New York Times review of the film said Oberon had "perfectly caught the restless, changeling spirit of the Brontë heroine".

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2022

Gretel may or may not be a fairy changeling, although given the fact that she has two pupils in each eye, she probably is.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2019

It was as if he were a changeling, a troubled child not so secretly adopted by the Icelanders, but with love and without foreboding.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• backup
• replacement
• stand-in
• surrogate