newborn

newborn — adjective

1. A newborn baby or animal has just been born and is still very young — usually on

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

A newborn baby or animal has just been born and is still very young — usually only a few days or weeks old.

Example

The nurse placed the newborn baby in its mother's arms right after the birth.

word order: newborn + noun (baby)

A newborn foal can stand up and walk within a few hours.

used with animal names: newborn foal

Common collocations
  • newborn baby
  • newborn calf
  • newborn lamb
  • newborn kitten
Synonyms
  • just born

    informal phrase, equivalent in meaning but less precise about timeframe

  • newly born

    slightly more formal; interchangeable in most contexts

Antonyms
  • old

    refers to advanced age, opposite end of the life spectrum

Grammar Patterns

newborn + noun

Usage Note

Most commonly used before a noun (attributive position) to describe a baby or animal. Predicative use (e.g. 'The baby is newborn') is possible but much less frequent.

Common Mistakes

My newborn brother is five years old.
My baby brother is five years old.
'newborn' only applies to the first few weeks of life, not to older children.

2. relating to a system, organization, or idea that has just come into existence an

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

relating to a system, organization, or idea that has just come into existence and is only beginning to develop.

Example

The country's newborn democracy faced its first difficult test with the election.

figurative use: newborn + abstract noun (democracy)

Investors were excited about the newborn company's fresh ideas for green energy.

Common collocations
  • newborn democracy
  • newborn company
  • newborn nation
  • newborn friendship
  • newborn industry
Synonyms
  • budding

    suggests growth potential; used of careers, interests, or talents

  • nascent

    formal or technical; means just beginning to develop

  • emerging

    common in news language; stresses the process of coming into view

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

newborn + abstract noun

Usage Note

Always used before a noun in figurative or metaphorical contexts. Common with nouns describing political systems, organizations, relationships, or abstract concepts. This sense is uncommon in everyday conversation and appears more in journalism or formal writing.

Common Mistakes

I bought a newborn phone.
I bought a brand new phone.
'newborn' cannot describe ordinary new objects; it is reserved for systems, organizations, or ideas.

newborn — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to very young humans, but they differ in specificity and register. 'Newborn' is the most precise term for a baby from the moment of birth up to about four weeks old — it emphasizes the recency of birth. 'Infant' covers a broader range (birth to roughly 12 months) and is more common in medical or formal contexts, such as 'infant mortality rate'. 'Baby' is the everyday, general term and can be used from birth well into the first year; it is also an affectionate term. 'Neonate' is a strictly medical term used by doctors and nurses for babies in the first 28 days of life — it sounds unnatural in casual conversation. For example, a parent might say 'my baby is three months old,' but a doctor would chart 'neonate, age 3 days.' Choose 'newborn' for precise, everyday reference to a baby in the first weeks of life.

newborn ↗infant ↗baby ↗neonate

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • from birth
  • in the first weeks
  • weeks old
  • days old

Prepositions

  • of a newborn
  • for a newborn

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'newborn' is a compound formed from 'new' (Old English 'neowe', meaning 'fresh, recent') and 'born' (Old English 'boren', the past participle of 'beran', meaning 'to bear or give birth'). The compound has been in use since the 14th century to describe a recently delivered baby. Its figurative use for newly created systems or ideas developed later in the 19th and 20th centuries.