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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:

Lamar arguably came out ahead with cuts including “Euphoria,” “Not Like Us” and “Meet the Grahams,” which displayed a whole new tier of viciousness from the Pulitzer winner, including unsubstantiated accusations of pedophilia against Drake.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

“Katalin Novák said that all pardons are divisive, but I think that pedophilia is different,” he told the AP on Thursday.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024

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

Musk, as CNN described it, "appeared to endorse a tweet that baselessly accused Roth of being sympathetic to pedophilia."

From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2022

Bolsonaro has denied any association with pagan rituals and branded the insinuations of pedophilia as slanderous lies, while also apologizing for his remarks about the teenage girls.

From Reuters ● Nov. 10, 2022

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