infant

infant — noun

1. a child during the earliest months or years of life, before they can walk or tal

1.nounA1
Definition

a child during the earliest months or years of life, before they can walk or talk comfortably

Example

Asher's infant slept through the night for the first time at three months old.

possessive + infant: family relationship context

The hospital's infant care unit has a separate room for premature babies.

collocation: infant care / infant unit

Common collocations
  • premature infant
  • newborn infant
  • breastfed infant
  • infant mortality
  • infant car seat
Synonyms
  • baby

    the everyday, informal word for a very young child; broader in age range than 'infant'

  • newborn

    specifically refers to a baby in the first few weeks after birth

Antonyms
  • adult

    a fully grown person

Grammar Patterns

infant + verb (singular/plural)

Usage Note

In everyday conversation, 'baby' is much more common than 'infant'. 'Infant' is the usual term in medical, legal, and formal contexts.

Common Mistakes

The infant could walk at ten months.' (possible but unusual).
The baby could walk at ten months.
'infant' is formal or clinical; for everyday talk about young children, use 'baby'.

2. a child attending the first stage of primary school in the UK, for pupils aged f

2.nounB1
Definition

a child attending the first stage of primary school in the UK, for pupils aged four to seven

Example

Rafael's daughter started as an infant at the village school last September.

British: 'an infant' as countable student

The infants at Green Lane Primary School wore bright yellow hats in the playground.

plural 'the infants' for the whole group

Common collocations
  • infant class
  • infant teacher
  • infant department
  • the infants' play area
Antonyms
  • junior

    a child in the junior school (ages 7–11), the next stage after infant school in the UK

Grammar Patterns

the infants (plural, refers to the group)

Usage Note

Only used in British English education contexts. The word 'infant' by itself (without 'school') can refer to a pupil in the infant years — usually used in the plural ('the infants') to mean the whole group of children in that age band.

Common Mistakes

She is an infant at the local school.' — ambiguous outside the UK.
She is in the infant class at the local school.
makes the UK school context clearer.

3. used as part of the name of a UK primary school for children aged four to seven

3.noun
Definition

used as part of the name of a UK primary school for children aged four to seven — this is a cross-reference to the separate entry for 'infant school'

Example

St. Mark's Infant School is holding a parents' evening next Tuesday.

proper name: Infant School as part of the institution's title

Liang enrolled at Riverside Infant School when he turned four.

Grammar Patterns

part of compound noun: infant school

Usage Note

This is a cross-reference item. For a full explanation, see the separate entry for 'infant school'.

infant — adjective

Word family

  • infancy
    nounB2
  • infantile
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Baby' is the broadest and most common everyday word, covering a child from birth up to about two years old—you can use it in almost any situation. 'Infant' is more formal and clinical; doctors, researchers, and official documents prefer it when referring to a child under one year, especially one too young to walk or talk. 'Newborn' is narrower, limited to the first few weeks of life and often used in hospital settings (e.g. 'newborn screening'). 'Toddler' describes a child aged roughly one to three who has just learned to walk. For example, a parent might say 'my baby is nine months old,' while a paediatrician would write 'the infant's weight gain is normal.' A child who has just started walking is a toddler, not an infant, even if still under one year.

babynewborntoddler

Common collocations

Nouns

  • infant mortality
  • infant care
  • infant health
  • infant development
  • infant feeding

Phrases

  • in early infancy
  • from birth to infancy

Prepositions

  • as an infant
  • from infancy
  • during infancy

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word comes from Latin 'infans', meaning 'unable to speak' — a combination of 'in-' (not) and 'fans' (speaking). It entered English through Old French 'enfant' in the 14th century, originally referring to a child too young to talk. Over time the meaning broadened to cover any young child before the age of walking or talking.