infantile

adjective

in·​fan·​tile ˈin-fən-ˌtī(-ə)l  -tᵊl  -ˌtēl  -(ˌ)til 

1

: of or relating to infants or infancy

2

: suitable to or characteristic of an infant

especially : very immature

infantile humor

infantility

ˌin-fən-ˈti-lə-tē 

noun

Synonyms

• adolescent
• babyish
• childish
• immature
• jejune
• juvenile
• kiddish
• puerile

Examples of infantile in a Sentence

the infantile humor that teenage boys are justly famous for

Recent Examples on the Web

If this is correct, is there a connection between song and the most basic infantile communication? —Aaron Shattuck, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2025

The infantile abomination that is The Boss Baby is the most unhinged example of the studio’s manic folly. —James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2025

But, true to form, Abbott doesn’t self-righteously shove these issues in our faces, lecturing on about statistics or writing the students as infantile or helpless. —Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2025

Social media users obsessed over every new documentation of her teething and tumbling and infantile antics, and the followers of the zoo’s TikTok, Facebook, X, and Instagram accounts skyrocketed. —Chad De Guzman, TIME, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing infantile

• infantile paralysis

Kids Definition

infantile

adjective

in·​fan·​tile ˈin-fən-ˌtīl 

-tᵊl,

-ˌtēl

: of, relating to, or resembling infants or infancy

also : childish

Medical Definition

infantile

adjective

in·​fan·​tile ˈin-fən-ˌtīl  -tᵊl  -ˌtēl  -(ˌ)til 

1

: of, relating to, or occurring in infants or infancy

infantile eczema

2

: suitable to or characteristic of an infant

especially : very immature