crybaby

American  

[krahy-bey-bee] / ˈkraɪˌbeɪ bi /

noun

plural

crybabies

1. a person, especially a child, who cries readily for very little reason.

2. a person who complains too much, usually in a whining manner.

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verb (used without object)

crybabied, crybabying

1. Also cry-baby. to cry or complain easily or often.

crybaby British  

/ ˈkraɪˌbeɪbɪ /

noun

1. a person, esp a child, given to frequent crying or complaint

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Etymology

Origin of crybaby

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; cry + baby

Explanation

A crybaby is someone who cries very easily and complains a lot. If you have a younger sister, you've probably called her a crybaby from time to time. You might be tempted to call someone whose feelings are very easily hurt, who is extremely sensitive and quick to burst into tears, a crybaby. It's a fairly derogatory term, however, and being called a crybaby will only make a crybaby cry even harder. The word dates from around 1850, and it's native to the United States, from the idea that someone "cries like a baby."

Example Sentences

Musk himself is the biggest crybaby of all, telling the Washington Post, "People were burning Teslas. Why would you do that? That’s really uncool."

From Salon • May 30, 2025

State Rep. Sara Carruthers chided Merrin in a Dayton Daily News interview, calling him a crybaby who couldn’t stand being outmaneuvered.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 14, 2023

“This letter is so pathetic in terms of whining: Mr. Free Speech Absolutist, just a crybaby hiding behind his lawyers,” O’Dowd said in an interview.

From Washington Post • Aug. 25, 2022

“This letter is so pathetic in terms of whining: Mr. Free Speech Absolutist, just a crybaby hiding behind his lawyers,” Mr. O’Dowd told The Washington Post.

From Washington Times • Aug. 25, 2022

I wipe my face with my sleeve because I am not some crybaby loser.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• whiner
• wimp