What does babydoll mean?
A babydoll is a short, loose-fitting garment for women, most commonly a nightgown made from light or sheer fabric such as chiffon, nylon, or lace, usually sold with matching panties as a set. The term also describes a related style of daytime dress — short, flowing, and cut without a waistline — which echoes the silhouette popularized by 1960s fashion. The name derives from the 1956 Elia Kazan film Baby Doll, whose heroine's attire inspired the lingerie style that followed. Today the word appears routinely in fashion retail and everyday conversation about sleepwear, carrying connotations that range from comfortable and playful to romantic or alluring depending on fabric and context. Its plural is babydolls, and it functions only as a noun.
A short, loose-fitting, often sheer nightgown for women, typically worn with matching panties.
"She slipped into a pale blue babydoll before bed."
Common in lingerie retail; register is informal but entirely standard.
A woman's dress styled like this garment: short, loose-fitting, and without a defined waistline.
"She wore a floral babydoll with white sneakers to the picnic."
Standard regular plural; used when referring to multiple garments or styles.
"The store displayed silk babydolls in every shade of pastel."
The babydoll got its name from the 1956 film 'Baby Doll' — after its release, the flirty short nightgown worn by the lead became so associated with the movie that it took the title as its name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of babydoll
Babydoll is an English compound formed from 'baby' (ultimately a reduplicated nursery word) and 'doll' (originally a pet form of Dorothy). As a term for a short nightgown, it arose in mid-twentieth-century American English, popularized after the 1956 film Baby Doll; the sense extended to short, waifish dress styles during the 1960s. There are no cognates outside English compounds, since the word is a modern formation rather than a borrowing.
Related word forms
How babydoll is actually used
Babydoll is informal but not vulgar; it is standard vocabulary in fashion retail and lingerie contexts. When used of dresses, 'babydoll dress' is the common fuller form. It is almost always applied to women's clothing.
Easily confused with babydoll
Babysit is a verb meaning to look after children, while a babydoll is a noun naming an item of lingerie or a style of short dress.