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designer baby

American

noun

a baby developing from an embryo created by in-vitro fertilization and selected because it had or lacked particular genes, the genetic makeup often having been modified by genetic engineering.

designer baby British

noun

informal a baby that is the product of genetic engineering

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of designer baby

First recorded in 1980–85

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.

"It's such a personal decision and I know that I'm opening myself up for possible designer baby discussions, but I know I'm doing it for the right reasons."

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

But at $1,160, the Snoo more expensive than many rocking devices - though designer baby beds can run higher.

From Washington Times • May 8, 2018

And here is that letter from the mother who one day will show up on the doorstep with some designer baby clothes and a plan to stay indefinitely.

From Slate • Mar. 4, 2014

Human Genetics Alert, a secular group in Britain that opposes many genetics and fertilization experiments, has called the techniques a slippery slope that could lead to "a designer baby market."

From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2014

"You can basically make a designer baby nowadays," said Garcia.

From Reuters • Sep. 22, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023