infancy

noun

in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən(t)-sē How to pronounce infancy (audio)
plural infancies
Synonyms of infancynext
1
: early childhood
2
: a beginning or early period of existence
3
: the legal status of an infant

Examples of infancy in a Sentence

She was often sick during her infancy. a skill developed in infancy She has been a member of the church since its infancy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, in infancy the brain is growing, and faster growth may not always be advantageous. — Catherine Demers, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026 Nearly all of it goes to people already in crisis, past the point where the underlying biology could have been redirected, whether in infancy or in adolescence or midlife. — Holly Baines, STAT, 14 Oct. 2026 Long-term utility-scale batteries, or those lasting six hours or more, will contribute just 2 gigawatts of that total, mostly in China, since the technology is still in its infancy. — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 The Canucks are in the infancy of their rebuild, so a pair of run-and-gun games made sense. — Janson Duench, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for infancy

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of infancy was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing infancy

Browse Nearby Words

infamy
infancy
infang
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Infancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infancy. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

infancy

noun
in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən-sē How to pronounce infancy (audio)
plural infancies
1
: early childhood
2
: a beginning or early period of existence

Medical Definition

infancy

noun
in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən-sē How to pronounce infancy (audio)
plural infancies
1
: early childhood
2
: the legal status of an infant

Legal Definition

infancy

noun
in·​fan·​cy ˈin-fən-sē How to pronounce infancy (audio)
plural infancies
1
: the legal status of an infant : minority
2
: the affirmative defense of lacking legal capacity (as to make a contract or commit a crime) because of being too young and especially because one's age is below an age set by statute

More from Merriam-Webster on infancy

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for infancy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about infancy

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