granddaughter

IPA/ˈɡrændɔːtə(r)/
KK[ɡrˈændˌɔtɚ]IPA/ˈɡrændɔːtər/

granddaughter — noun

  • granddaughtersingular
  • granddaughtersplural

1. The female child of a person's own child — if your child has a daughter, she is

1.nounA2
Definition

The female child of a person's own child — if your child has a daughter, she is your granddaughter.

Example

Aiko's granddaughter, Mei, made her a birthday card with crayons.

possessive + granddaughter + named person

The old man takes his granddaughter to the park every Sunday morning.

possessive determiner + granddaughter as object

Common collocations
  • my granddaughter
  • his granddaughter
  • our granddaughter
  • young granddaughter
  • eldest granddaughter
  • adored granddaughter
  • great-granddaughter
Antonyms
  • grandson

    the male child of someone's child — opposite gender

Grammar Patterns

possessive + granddaughter

granddaughter + of + noun phrase

determiner + granddaughter

Usage Note

Countable noun. Use a possessive (my, his, our) or a genitive (Nadia's granddaughter) to show whose granddaughter you mean. To distinguish between your son's daughter and your daughter's daughter, English speakers typically add context (his son's girl / his daughter's girl) rather than using separate words — though some use paternal granddaughter and maternal granddaughter for precision.

Common Mistakes

My grandaughter is seven years old.
My granddaughter is seven years old.
The word has a double 'd' in the middle: grand + daughter.
She is my daughter's grandson.
She is my daughter's granddaughter.
'Grandson' is for a boy; 'granddaughter' is for a girl.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three words all refer to the children of someone's son or daughter. Granddaughter specifies a female child or adult; grandson specifies a male child or adult. Grandchild is a gender-neutral umbrella term for either. Use granddaughter or grandson when the gender matters to the story ("My granddaughter loves ballet; my grandson plays soccer"). Use grandchild when the gender is unknown, irrelevant, or when talking about the relationship in general ("She has six grandchildren"). Grandchild is also common in formal writing about family demographics. Avoid using granddaughter to refer to a boy, or grandson for a girl — these are common learner errors.

granddaughter ↗grandson ↗grandchild ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • granddaughter + name
  • granddaughter + age

Phrases

  • my dear granddaughter
  • our beloved granddaughter
  • paternal granddaughter
  • maternal granddaughter
  • great-granddaughter

Prepositions

  • granddaughter of [someone]

Etymology

Old EnglishOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word granddaughter is a combination of grand- and daughter. Grand- comes from Old French grand, meaning 'large' or 'big', and was used in family words like grandfather and grandmother to mean 'one generation away'. Daughter comes from Old English dohtor, which goes back to a very old word for a female child. The two parts were joined together in Middle English to describe the daughter of one's child.