infantilism

American  

[in-fuhn-tl-iz-uhm, -tahy-liz-, in-fan-tl-iz-uhm] / ˈɪn fən tlˌɪz əm, -taɪˌlɪz-, ɪnˈfæn tlˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the persistence in an adult of markedly childish anatomical, physiological, or psychological characteristics.

2. an infantile act, trait, etc., especially in an adult.

3. a speech disorder characterized by speech and voice patterns that are typical of very young children.

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infantilism British  

/ ɪnˈfæntɪˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. psychol

   1. a condition in which an older child or adult is mentally or physically undeveloped

   2. isolated instances of infantile behaviour in mature persons

2. childish speech; baby talk

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Etymology

Origin of infantilism

First recorded in 1890–95; infantile + -ism

Example Sentences

But more than that, it will remind those who despair of America’s angry infantilism that we are a country of multiple voices, and a full range of temperaments.

From Washington Post • May 16, 2019

Not even Tolkien’s vast philological scholarship, his deep knowledge of mythology, and his world-building skills could impress what Moorcock and company saw as a troublesome infantilism inherent in Tolkien’s work.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 31, 2014

Even my son’s embarrassed by the infantilism of my tastes, but there’s some good stuff out there now.

From The Guardian • Oct. 25, 2014

Maybe these recent tubs of guts exist to reassure Americans of their own ever-increasing waistlines, are embodiments of the new infantilism or just a recycled familiar type.

From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2011

Youthful obesity is sometimes, as Féré remarks, associated with precocious maturity and resultant early senescence, but more often with extended infantilism, as in the case of Dickens’s “fat boy.”

From Degeneracy Its Causes, Signs and Results by Talbot, Eugene S.

Related Words

• ignorance
• imperfection