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.
“Objective: get newspapers to stop calling you a pedophile and get the truth out; tamp down and ultimately stop the bad press; start generating positive press about your community involvement,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
His ceaseless struggle to get Reubens to fully open up creates a crisp tension in two installments, showing how deeply scarred Reubens was by the manufactured scandals that falsely branded him a pedophile.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2025
District Judge Jeannette Vargas said in the ruling Thursday that accusing Drake of being a pedophile is a serious claim.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
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
No one even bothered to call Ramaswamy a pedophile, that’s how bad off he was.
From Slate • Jun. 14, 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.
