infantilize

verb

in·​fan·​til·​ize in-ˈfan-tə-ˌlīz 

ˈin-fən-tə-ˌlīz,

-fən-ˌtī-ˌlīz 

infantilized; infantilizing

transitive verb

1

: to make or keep infantile

2

: to treat as if infantile

infantilization

in-ˌfan-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən

ˌin-fən-ˌtī-lə-ˈzā-shən 

-fən-tə-

noun

Did you know?

Infantilize is just a baby, linguistically speaking. It wasn’t until several decades into the 20th century that social scientists started using the term to discuss the ways in which treating humans as helpless can prolong or encourage their dependency on others. The adjective infantile, which gave birth to infantilize, is far more mature: it dates to the 17th century. (Infant dates to the 14th century and comes ultimately from a Latin word meaning “incapable of speech; young.”) Infantile sometimes literally means “relating to infants”—that is, to children in the first year of life—but it is also applied more broadly. If you chide someone for their infantile behavior, for example, you rebuke the person for acting immaturely or childishly; to chide someone for infantilizing behavior, on the other hand, is to rebuke them for acting as if others are not as mature or independent as they are.

Examples of infantilize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Perhaps the infantilizing rhetoric Democrats regularly use towards Black people can provide a clue as to why those voters have started to move away from the party. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024

But the way universities infantilize students isn't just ridiculous. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024

The user is coddled by the machine, voluntarily infantilized. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024

Historian Krista Cowman interprets the sexism in this postcard as infantilizing though not especially cruel. —Natalie Kinkade, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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