Word.ws English Dictionary

baby duck syndrome

Syllables: baby duck syn·drome/ˌbeɪbi dʌk ˈsɪndɹəʊm/US/ˌbeɪbi dʌk ˈsɪndɹoʊm/

baby duck syndrome noun: the tendency of computer users to think the system (software or usage paradigm) they originally started using is better than others.

Noun

baby duck syndrome (uncountable)

  1. (humorous) The tendency of computer users to think the system (software or usage paradigm) they originally started using is better than others.
    • Lotus 1-2-3 has become the spreadsheet package chosen by most people and is still widely used. This is sometimes called the "baby duck syndrome," meaning that once a person uses one certain spreadsheet and becomes familiar with it, he will not try another package even though it may be easier to use...1991, Andrew W. Lai, “Graphical Decision Aids: Spreadsheets”, in Allen Kent, James G. Williams, editors, Encyclopedia of Microcomputers, volume 8 (Geographic Information System to Hypertext), New...
    • The tools go back on the shelf, mostly unused, for a number of reasons, not just the baby-duck syndrome.1993, Dr. Dobb’s Journal, page 78, column 3

Examples of baby duck syndrome in a sentence

  • The phenomenon of baby duck syndrome is well known – it's what happens when users judge new and upcoming systems by comparing them with the first system they learned.2005 March 2, Peter Seebach, “The Cranky User: Baby Duck Syndrome: Imprinting on Your First System Makes Change a Very Hard Thing”, in IBM...
  • Most people acquainted with a personal computer system exhibit the baby duck syndrome.2013 April 22, Ted Herman, “General Landscape of Computing Languages”, in A Functional Start to Computing with Python (Chapman & Hall/CRC...
  • Frankly speaking, baby duck syndrome is detrimental because users block themselves from trying new and better methods, even though the learning curve of the new tool is worth the climb.2022, Chong Ho Alex Yu, “Cutting Edge Data Analytical Tools”, in Data Mining and Exploration: From Traditional Statistics to Modern Data...

Origin of baby duck syndrome

From the tendency of newly hatched ducks or other birds to imprint on the first thing they see.

Questions about baby duck syndrome

What does baby duck syndrome mean?
Baby duck syndrome means the tendency of computer users to think the system (software or usage paradigm) they originally started using is better than others.
How do you use baby duck syndrome in a sentence?
The phenomenon of baby duck syndrome is well known – it's what happens when users judge new and upcoming systems by comparing them with the first system they learned.
What part of speech is baby duck syndrome?
Baby duck syndrome is a noun.
How do you pronounce baby duck syndrome?
Baby duck syndrome is pronounced /ˌbeɪbi dʌk ˈsɪndɹəʊm/ (UK).

Words near baby duck syndrome in the dictionary

  1. Baby Doc
  2. baby doll
  3. baby doll dress
  4. baby doll dresses
  5. baby dolls
  6. baby duck syndrome
  7. baby elephant in the room
  8. baby elephants in the room
  9. baby eyes
  10. baby face
  11. baby faced

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: baby duck syndrome (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-baby duck syndrome.wav.

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