Word
pedophile
Phoneticspe·dophile
/ˈpɛdəfɪɫ/
Definition
n. an adult who is sexually attracted to children. This is a very serious and negative word used in legal and social contexts.
n. an adult who experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Often carries heavy legal and social stigma; used in both clinical and criminal justice contexts.
Examples
“The police arrested a suspected pedophile near the school.”
“New legislation was introduced to track every convicted pedophile after their release from prison to ensure community safety.”
“The documentary explores the psychological profile of the pedophile while simultaneously examining the systemic failures that allow such individuals to remain undetected within youth organizations.”
Examples
simple
“The police arrested a suspected pedophile near the school.”
contextual
“New legislation was introduced to track every convicted pedophile after their release from prison to ensure community safety.”
complex
“The documentary explores the psychological profile of the pedophile while simultaneously examining the systemic failures that allow such individuals to remain undetected within youth organizations.”
Usage
The spelling 'pedophile' is standard in American English, while 'paedophile' is used in British English.
Real-World Examples
“Yes, there was the novelty of having the ultimate pariah – the pedophile – at its center.” “That work, Q claimed, would expose a satanic cabal of pedophiles among the elites.” Etymology
From pedo- (“child”) + -phile, after Ancient Greek παιδοφῐ́λης (paidophĭ́lēs) (from παῖς (paîs, “boy, child”) + φιλέω (philéō, “to love”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/pedophile