infantile
Americanadjective
-
like a child in action or behaviour; childishly immature; puerile
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of infants or infancy
-
in an early stage of development
Synonym Usage
See childish.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of infantile
From the Latin word infantīlis, dating back to 1690–1700. See infant, -ile
Explanation
Infantile means immature or childish. Thumb-sucking and temper tantrums are examples of infantile behavior. Doctors use the word infantile just like you'd expect: to describe things having to do with infants or babies. The rest of us, though, generally use this adjective when someone's being a brat or a crybaby or otherwise behaving immaturely. If someone refers to your sense of humor or your style of argument as "infantile" they are not offering you a compliment. They might be trying to tell you to "grow up."
Vocabulary lists containing infantile
Out of the Dust
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Made You Look: Synonyms for "Immature"
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Bronx Masquerade
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sigmund Freud, to put it crudely, suggested that collecting was a pursuit of control intended to make up for an infantile lack of bowel control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
They resorted to the common, if infantile tactic of asking repeated simple but irrelevant questions in an attempt to embarrass their target.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
And don’t get me started on the endless, infantile standing ovations.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
Emojis can have an "infantile connotation" which could lead to people perceiving you as younger, less senior, capable or responsible, he says.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2025
“If ever I hear again of any lapse from a proper standard of infantile decorum, I shall ask for your transference to a Sub-Centre— preferably to Iceland. Good morning.”
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
