Only Child

Pseudo-class

:only-child

Selects an element that is the only child of its parent.

Example

li:only-child {
  list-style: none;
}

Specificity

0-1-0

Browser Support

All browsers

About the Only Child

The :only-child CSS selector belongs to the Pseudo-class category.Selects an element that is the only child of its parent. Understanding CSS selector specificity and combinators is essential for writing maintainable stylesheets that behave predictably.

The specificity of this selector is 0-1-0. CSS specificity determines which styles are applied when multiple rules target the same element. Higher specificity values take precedence. The specificity hierarchy from lowest to highest is: universal (*) → type/element → class/attribute/pseudo-class → ID → inline styles → !important.

Browser support for Only Child is: All browsers. When using newer CSS selectors like :has(), :is(), or CSS nesting, consider providing fallback styles for older browsers. Use @supports to progressively enhance your stylesheets with modern features while maintaining backward compatibility.

Related Selectors

:only-of-type :first-child :last-child