wunderkind

See also: Wunderkind and Wünderkind

English

WOTD – 7 October 2007

Alternative forms

• Wunderkind
• Wünderkind (hyperforeign)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from German Wunderkind, from Wunder (“wonder”) +‎ Kind (“child”). Compare native wonderchild.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvʊn.də.kɪnd/, /ˈwʊn.də.kɪnd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈvʊn.dɚ.kɪnt/, /ˈvʊn.dɚ.kɪnd/, /ˈwʊn.dɚ.kɪnd/, /ˈwʌn.dɚ.kɪnd/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (US):

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Noun

wunderkind (plural wunderkinder or wunderkinds)

1. A child prodigy; a wonderchild.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:child prodigy

2. A highly talented or gifted person, especially one who is successful at a young age.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:genius

   • 2009 January 28, Ravi Somaiya, “It’s the Economy, Girlfriend”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 30 August 2020:

     Harriet Pappenheim, a psychotherapist at Park Avenue Relationship Consultants who wrote “For Richer or Poorer,” a 2006 book on money in marriage, said that the repercussions could be acute for Wall Street wunderkinds who define their identities through their job titles and the size of their bonuses.

   • 2021 October 17, Katrin Bennhold, “Fake Polls and Tabloid Coverage on Demand: The Dark Side of Sebastian Kurz”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN, archived from the original on 8 December 2021:

     The downfall of Austria’s onetime political Wunderkind put a spotlight on the cozy, sometimes corrupt, relationship between right-wing populists and parts of the news media.

   • 2021 December 17, Vanessa Friedman, “The Verdict on the Elizabeth Holmes Trial Makeover”, in The New York Times‎^[3], →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 April 2022:

     When the verdict comes down, the transformation of the wunderkind founder of Theranos from black-clad genius to besuited milquetoast will be an integral part of the story.

Translations

child prodigy — see child prodigy

highly talented person who is successful at a young age

• Bulgarian: ву́ндеркинд m (vúnderkind)
• Finnish: ihmelapsi
• German: Wunderkind (de) n
• Hungarian: csodagyerek (hu)
• Macedonian: ву́ндеркинд m (vúnderkind)
• Norwegian: vidunderbarn n
• Polish: dziecko szczęścia (pl) n, cudowne dziecko (pl) n
• Russian: вундерки́нд (ru) m (vundɛrkínd)