wunderkind

noun

wun·​der·​kind ˈvu̇n-dər-ˌkint How to pronounce wunderkind (audio)
plural wunderkinder ˈvu̇n-dər-ˌkin-dər How to pronounce wunderkind (audio)
: a child prodigy
also : one who succeeds in a competitive or highly difficult field or profession at an early age

Examples of wunderkind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In the following interview, the wunderkind son of a culinary legend talks about running the family business, being inspired by other artists and making big plans for the upcoming NOLA Super Bowl. Demarco Williams, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 The wunderkind duo known to musical-theater folk as Pasek and Paul have been professionally young and talented for an infuriatingly long time, attending the University of Michigan as all those people tend to do and hitting Broadway in their early 20s and winning. Joe Reid, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2024 Honorable mentions from yesterday: Novak Djokovic avenged his Wimbledon loss to Carlos Alcaraz with a 7-6, 7-6 win over the sport’s wunderkind to earn his first-ever gold medal. Chris Branch, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024 Coplan is considered something of a wunderkind in the blockchain-technology world. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wunderkind 

Word History

Etymology

German, from Wunder wonder + Kind child

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wunderkind was in 1873

Dictionary Entries Near wunderkind

Cite this Entry

“Wunderkind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wunderkind. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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