Meanings
- Pertaining to ephebophilia or an ephebophile (a preference or preferrer of adolescent boys)
Costell (1980) describes similar characteristics in hebephilic offenders (preferring adolescent girls) and ephebophilic offenders (preferring adolescent boys).
1989 at Risk: The Other Side of Child Sexual Abuse - Page 612 more examples
Hebephilic offenders (those who prefer adolescent girls) and ephebophilic offenders (those with a homosexual preference for adolescent boys) exhibit characteristics which parallel those of the pedophile.
1980 Sexual Abuse of Children: Selected Readings page 30 (in chapter 7: "The Nature and Treatment of Male Sex Offenders" by Ronald M. Costell, M.D.)It is difficult to categorize juveniles who commit sex crimes against other children. Within this group there are hebephilic offenders who prefer adolescent females, ephebophilic offenders with a homosexual preference, and still others who appears generally pedophilic (Costell, 1980, p. 30).
1987, Working with Violent Families: A Guide for Clinical and Legal Practitioners, page 187
Origin
Cite this entry
ephebophilic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ephebophilic
“ephebophilic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ephebophilic. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ephebophilic,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ephebophilic.
Source: ephebophilic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.