firstborn

firstborn — adjective

IPA/ˈfɜːst.bɔːn/
KK[fˈɚstbˈɔrn]IPA/ˈfɝːst.bɔːrn/
  • firstbornpositive
  • more firstborncomparative
  • most firstbornsuperlative

1. born before any other children in the same family — describing someone whose bir

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

born before any other children in the same family — describing someone whose birth came earliest among their parents' children.

Example

Mira is their firstborn daughter, and her brother was born three years later.

firstborn + daughter / son / child

The firstborn child in some families receives more care and attention from parents.

Common collocations
  • firstborn son
  • firstborn daughter
  • firstborn child
Synonyms
  • eldest

    more common in everyday speech; 'her eldest daughter' sounds natural in conversation

  • oldest

    more general — can describe people or objects in any group, not just siblings

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

firstborn + noun

Usage Note

Used immediately before a noun such as 'son', 'daughter', or 'child'. It does not appear after a linking verb — use the noun form instead (e.g. 'She is the firstborn in her family').

Common Mistakes

He was firstborn in 1998.
He was the firstborn child in 1998.
'firstborn' is an adjective or noun, not a verb form like 'was born'.

firstborn — noun

IPA/ˈfɜːstbɔːn/
KK[fˈɚstbˈɔrn]IPA/ˈfɜːrstbɔːrn/

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Eldest', 'oldest', and 'firstborn' all refer to the child born earliest in a family, but each suits different contexts. 'Firstborn' emphasises birth order and is often used in formal, traditional, or literary settings ('the firstborn son inherits the title'). 'Eldest' is the most natural choice in everyday speech when specifying rank among siblings ('my eldest sister'). 'Oldest' is the broadest term — it can describe any person or thing in any group, not only children. 'First' by itself simply means number one in sequence and is not a direct synonym. For example, you would say 'her eldest brother' in casual conversation, but 'her firstborn son' when stressing the birth order in a formal context such as a legal document or a traditional story.

eldest ↗oldest ↗first ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word comes from Old English, where 'fyrst' meant 'first' and 'boren' meant 'born'. It has been used since before the 1100s to describe the earliest-born child in a family.