ENGLISH
REFERENCE

baby of the family

idiom.
B1 Intermediate Informal
Definition

idiom. the youngest child in a family, even if they are now an adult. People often use this to explain why someone is treated with extra care or seen as the little one.

idiom. a figurative label for the youngest sibling within a nuclear family unit. It often carries connotations of being pampered, protected, or less mature than older siblings, regardless of the individual's actual age.


SIMPLE

As the baby of the family, he always gets the most attention.

CONTEXTUAL

Even though she is thirty years old, her brothers still treat her like the baby of the family.

COMPLEX

The psychological dynamics shifted significantly once the baby of the family moved out, leaving the parents with an empty nest for the first time.

Usage

usually follows the verb 'to be' and is used as a noun phrase.

Teaching tip

point out that 'baby' here is a role, not a literal age; it is a useful phrase for discussing family birth order and personality traits.

Pitfall

He is the family baby.He is the baby of the family.the fixed idiomatic structure requires the 'of the family' prepositional phrase rather than a noun-noun compound.

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