Meaning & use
pedophilia
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedical
A psychiatric condition in which an adult has a persistent sexual attraction to children who have not reached puberty.
Grammar: No article: pedophilia is a clinical diagnosis.
Psychologists define pedophilia as a persistent attraction, which is different from abuse itself.
Pedophilia is a diagnosis made only by qualified clinicians.
Research into pedophilia aims to help prevent harm to children.
Common combinations
- diagnosis of pedophilia
- A diagnosis of pedophilia requires a professional assessment.
- treatment for pedophilia
- Specialists offer treatment for pedophilia to prevent offending.
- research on pedophilia
- Research on pedophilia informs child protection.
- pedophilia and abuse
- Experts stress that pedophilia and abuse are not the same thing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pedophilic disorder
- This is the formal diagnostic name used in clinical manuals and is more precise than the general term.
- paedophilia
- This is the British spelling of the same word.
Word family
- pedophile noun
- a person with this attraction
- pedophilic adjective
- relating to pedophilia
- paedophilia noun
- British spelling
Commonly confused: pedophilia or pedophile? pedophilia or pederasty?
pedophilia vs pedophile
Pedophilia is the condition, whereas a pedophile is the person who has it. Neither word means child abuse, which is an action.
pedophilia vs pederasty
Pederasty is a historical term for a particular relationship between men and boys, not a medical diagnosis.
Practice
Which statement about the word pedophilia is accurate?
Choose one answer.
Pedophilia names an attraction diagnosed by clinicians. Abuse is an act and is a separate matter, and the other options are wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pedophilia”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.