1
: retention of childish physical, mental, or emotional qualities in adult life
especially : failure to attain sexual maturity
2
: an act or expression that indicates lack of maturity

Examples of infantilism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This would have caused Beijing’s infantilism to become a national embarrassment — a weak nation’s idea of national strength. George Will, National Review, 17 Oct. 2019 From a super crushing a man’s skull as she orgasms to another super’s paraphilic infantilism fetish, Kripke uses extreme moments to build the story. Shana O'Neil, The Verge, 24 July 2019 Contemporary cinematographic literature is the result of progressive infantilism of content and the narrowing of perspective. Isabel Coixet, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 June 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infantilism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of infantilism was in 1895

Dictionary Entries Near infantilism

Cite this Entry

“Infantilism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infantilism. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

infantilism

noun
in·​fan·​til·​ism ˈin-fən-ˌtīl-ˌiz-əm How to pronounce infantilism (audio)
-tə-ˌliz-;
in-ˈfan-tᵊl-ˌiz-
: childish qualities or behavior in an adult

Medical Definition

infantilism

noun
: retention of childish physical, mental, or emotional qualities in adult life
especially : failure to attain sexual maturity
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