Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

pedophilia

American  
[ped-uh-fil-ee-uh, pee-duh-] / ˌpɛd əˈfɪl i ə, ˌpi də- /

noun

Psychiatry.
  1. sexual desire in an adult for a child.


pedophilia British  
/ ˌpiːdəʊˈfɪlɪə /

noun

  1. a variant spelling (esp US) of paedophilia

"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 pedophilia

From New Latin, dating back to 1905–10; see origin at pedo- 1, -philia


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.

See Examples For:

In a Jan. 2 appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” the conspiracy-minded athlete steered the conversation into a perennial favorite of the QAnon crowd, pedophilia and Epstein.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2024

"This was a regrettable episode, which tarnished the just and worthy cause of defending victims of pedophilia."

From Reuters ● Aug. 3, 2023

Balenciaga, once the hottest brand on the fashion calendar, had a spectacular fall from grace last autumn after it was accused of promoting pedophilia in its advertising campaigns; it is still trying to regain momentum.

From New York Times ● Jul. 18, 2023

This is a guy who literally accused a man of pedophilia for nothing more than knowing better than Musk how to rescue Thai children trapped in a cave.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2023

CLAIM: Rep. Katie Porter said in a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee that pedophilia is an identity, not a crime.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2022

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training