cradle robber
A person who marries or becomes romantically involved with someone who is much younger, or who employs or otherwise engages a young person for a purpose inappropriate for his or her age.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“People often call him a cradle robber because his girlfriend is so young.”
“When the fifty-year-old actor started dating a college student, the tabloids immediately labeled him a cradle robber.”
“Despite his claims of a deep intellectual connection, his peers whispered that he was nothing more than a cradle robber seeking to recapture his lost youth.”
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cat's cradle
Any complicated structure that appears to be without purpose.
- 02
cradle snatcher
A person who prefers to date people significantly younger than themselves.
- 03
rob the cradle
To marry or become romantically involved with a much younger person, especially one from a younger generation.
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robber baron
Especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries, a business tycoon who had great wealth and influence but whose methods were morally questionable and often unethical.
Last updated August 10, 2026