A child is not a vessel for filling, but a fire to light.
Source: tatoeba (2069)
Child
/tʃaɪld/
Synonyms for "child" (231 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (47)
Noun(23 words)
kidminoryoungsterfryjuvenilenippersmall frytykeand thesaurus:girlbabybairnbambinobatabinary clonebitchlingboyboysbratchild nodechild safe
Show 3 more words
adolescentangelartifactbabebabybairnboybrainchildbratbroodbudbuggercherubchickchickabiddychild of naturechip off the old blockchitcoinagecomposition
Show 3 more words
Adjective(1 words)
Strong matches (69)
Noun(27 words)
crotch droppingcrotch fruitcrotch goblincrotch monkeycrotchlingcrumb crunchercrumb crushercrumb grindercrumb snatchercum cheesecum petcunt droppingdaughterfootlingfuck trophyfucklethump dumplinghybridimmediate issueskid friendly
crowning achievementdarlingdaughterdescendantdescendantsdickensdistillationdovedupeeffectend productessenceextractfoetusfoster childfruitgirlgrandchildgranddaughtergrandson
Adjective(1 words)
little earthling
Related words (115)
little innocentlittle onelittle tadlittle totloutmanufacturemasterpiecemasterworkmere childminormintagemitemoppetnaifneonatenew mintagenewbornnewborn babenippernoble savage
Show 47 more words
oafoffspringoperaopusopusculeoriginationoutcomeoutgrowthpeeweepersonposterityproductproductionprogenitureprogenypussrelativeresultruberunaboutscionseedshaversimple soulsmall frysonson and heirsonnystepchildstepdaughterstepsonstriplingtadteenagerteenerteenyboppertoddlertotunsophisticatewee totworkyokelyoung hopefulyoung manyounglingyoungsteryouth
Noun(43 words)
Interjection(1 words)
lo there child
Adjective(4 words)
old high german kindswedish barntiny humanyoung person
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: kid, minor, youngster, fry, juvenile.
- Sentence evidence is available for child, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "child".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "child"
Keep "child" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "child" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "child", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "child" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
18 entriesdescendantdescendentdescriptorfamily memberhumanindividualissuejuvenilejuvenile personmodifiermortalnodeoffspringpersonprogenysomebody
Showing 16 of 18 words.
More specific
15 entriesCollocations
8 entrieschild carechild developmentchild educationchild healthchild psychologychild rightschild safetyyoung child
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriesAntonyms
1 entriesTranslations
160 translations across 99 languages.
'Are'are
1 entries- wera noun (a minor)
Afrikaans
1 entries- kind noun (a minor)
Albanian
1 entries- fëmijë noun (a minor)
Ao
1 entries- tanur (Chungli) noun (a minor)
Arabic
4 entries- بزر noun (a minor)
- درّي noun (a minor)
- طفل noun (a minor)
- طِفْل noun (a minor)
Armenian
2 entries- երեխա noun (a minor)
- մանուկ noun (a minor)
Asturian
2 entries- neñu noun (a minor)
- ñeñu noun (a minor)
Azerbaijani
2 entries- bala noun (a minor)
- uşaq noun (a minor)
Baluchi
1 entries- چک noun (a minor)
Bashkir
1 entries- бала noun (a minor)
Breton
3 entries- bugel noun (a minor)
- minor noun (a minor)
- minored noun (a minor)
Bulgarian
1 entries- дете́ noun (a minor)
Burmese
1 entries- ကလေး noun (a minor)
Catalan
1 entries- nen noun (a minor)
Central Kurdish
3 entries- بچووک noun (a minor)
- مناڵ noun (a minor)
- منداڵ noun (a minor)
Chinese
1 entries- 囡仔 noun (a minor)
Chinese Cantonese
3 entries- 細蚊仔 /细蚊仔 noun (a minor)
- 細路 /细路 noun (a minor)
- 細路哥 /细路哥 noun (a minor)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 孩子 noun (a minor)
- 小孩 noun (a minor)
- 小孩兒 /小孩儿 noun (a minor)
- 小孩子 noun (a minor)
Crimean Tatar
1 entries- bala noun (a minor)
Czech
1 entries- dítě noun (a minor)
Danish
2 entries- barn noun (a minor)
- børn noun (a minor)
Dongxiang
1 entries- kewosi noun (a minor)
Dutch
1 entries- kind noun (a minor)
Esperanto
3 entries- infanino noun (a minor)
- infano noun (a minor)
- virinfano noun (a minor)
Estonian
1 entries- laps noun (a minor)
Ewe
1 entries- ɖevi noun (a minor)
Fijian
1 entries- gone noun (a minor)
Finnish
2 entries- alaikäinen noun (a minor)
- lapsi noun (a minor)
French
1 entries- enfant noun (a minor)
Georgian
1 entries- ბავშვი noun (a minor)
German
1 entries- Kind noun (a minor)
Greek
2 entries- ανήλικος noun (a minor)
- παιδί noun (a minor)
Gujarati
1 entries- બાળક noun (a minor)
Hawaiian
1 entries- keiki noun (a minor)
Hebrew
2 entries- יֶלֶד noun (a minor)
- יַלְדָּה noun (a minor)
Hindi
4 entries- बच्चा noun (a minor)
- बच्ची noun (a minor)
- बालक noun (a minor)
- बालिका noun (a minor)
Hungarian
2 entries- gyerek noun (a minor)
- gyermek noun (a minor)
Icelandic
1 entries- barn noun (a minor)
Ido
2 entries- infanto noun (a minor)
- puero noun (a minor)
Interlingua
1 entries- infante noun (a minor)
Iranian Persian
4 entries- بَچِه noun (a minor)
- بَچِّه noun (a minor)
- بچ noun (a minor)
- کودَک noun (a minor)
Iraqi Arabic
1 entries- جاهل noun (a minor)
Irish
1 entries- páiste noun (a minor)
Italian
2 entries- bambina noun (a minor)
- bambino noun (a minor)
Japanese
3 entries- 子 noun (a minor)
- 子供 noun (a minor)
- 未成年 noun (a minor)
Korean
1 entries- 어린이 noun (a minor)
Latgalian
1 entries- bārns noun (a minor)
Latin
2 entries- impubes noun (a minor)
- praetextatus noun (a minor)
Latvian
1 entries- bērns noun (a minor)
Lezgi
1 entries- аял noun (a minor)
Lithuanian
1 entries- vaikas noun (a minor)
Livonian
1 entries- läpš noun (a minor)
Lower Sorbian
2 entries- góle noun (a minor)
- źiśe noun (a minor)
Macedonian
1 entries- дете noun (a minor)
Malagasy
1 entries- zaza noun (a minor)
Maltese
1 entries- tifla noun (a minor)
Middle English
3 entries- barn noun (a minor)
- child noun (a minor)
- gerle noun (a minor)
Mizo
1 entries- naupang noun (a minor)
Mongolian
1 entries- хөвүүн noun (a minor)
Mwani
1 entries- kisimana noun (a minor)
Ngarrindjeri
1 entries- porli noun (a minor)
Norman
3 entries- avé noun (a minor)
- mousse noun (a minor)
- êfant noun (a minor)
North Mesopotamian Arabic
1 entries- عجي noun (a minor)
Northern Kurdish
2 entries- biçûk noun (a minor)
- zarok noun (a minor)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- barn n mindreårig noun (a minor)
Nupe
1 entries- dzánkàn noun (a minor)
Old English
1 entries- ċild noun (a minor)
Polish
1 entries- dziecko noun (a minor)
Portuguese
4 entries- criança noun (a minor)
- menina noun (a minor)
- menino noun (a minor)
- miúdo noun (a minor)
Potawatomi
1 entries- penoje noun (a minor)
Punjabi
1 entries- ਬੱਚਾ noun (a minor)
Romanian
2 entries- copil noun (a minor)
- copilă noun (a minor)
Romansch
4 entries- affon noun (a minor)
- iffaunt noun (a minor)
- uffant noun (a minor)
- unfant noun (a minor)
Russian
2 entries- дитя́ noun (a minor)
- ребёнок noun (a minor)
Samogitian
1 entries- vāks noun (a minor)
Sanskrit
1 entries- शिशु noun (a minor)
Saterland Frisian
1 entries- Bäiden noun (a minor)
Scots
1 entries- bairn noun (a minor)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- leanabh noun (a minor)
- pàisde noun (a minor)
Slovene
1 entries- otrok noun (a minor)
South Efate
1 entries- tesa noun (a minor)
Spanish
4 entries- chiwchi noun (a minor)
- escuintle noun (a minor)
- niña noun (a minor)
- niño noun (a minor)
Swahili
1 entries- mtoto noun (a minor)
Swedish
1 entries- barn noun (a minor)
Tagalog
1 entries- bata noun (a minor)
Teochew
1 entries- 孥囝 noun (a minor)
Tok Pisin
1 entries- pikinini noun (a minor)
Turkish
1 entries- çocuk noun (a minor)
Ukrainian
2 entries- дити́на noun (a minor)
- дитя́ noun (a minor)
Urdu
1 entries- بَچَّہ noun (a minor)
Vietnamese
2 entries- đứa bé noun (a minor)
- đứa trẻ noun (a minor)
Welsh
1 entries- plentyn dan oed noun (a minor)
West-Frisian
1 entries- bern noun (a minor)
Yiddish
1 entries- קינד noun (a minor)
Yoruba
1 entries- ọmọdé noun (a minor)
Yucatec Maya
1 entries- paal noun (a minor)
Zazaki
2 entries- doman (diq) noun (a minor)
- qeç (diq) noun (a minor)
Zhuang
1 entries- lwgnyez noun (a minor)
Zulu
2 entries- ingane noun (a minor)
- umntwana noun (a minor)
Sample sentences
31 total sentences available.
When I was a child, I would spend hours reading alone in my room.
Source: tatoeba (2464)
"Do you have any siblings?" "No, I'm an only child."
Source: tatoeba (6148)
You are no longer a mere child.
Source: tatoeba (16346)
Showing 4 of 31 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "child"?
Closest matches include kid, minor, youngster, fry, juvenile.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "child"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.