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 noun
in-ˌfan-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən
ˌin-fən-ˌtī-lə-ˈzā-shən -fən-tə-
Did you know?
Infantilize is just a baby, relatively speaking. It first saw the light of day in the early 1900s, when 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. Infantile sometimes literally means "relating to infants"—that is, to children in the first year of life—but it also has a broader meaning. If you chide someone for their infantile behavior, you rebuke the person for acting immaturely or childishly.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web These kitschy activities infantilize what ought to be a rigorous pursuit of professional competency. 
Daniel Buck, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 The church also tends to misunderstand, infantilize and even demonize those who question. The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Aug. 2022 Movies can overromanticize, infantilize or instill incongruously adult wisdom in young characters. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2022 His position that nanny-state efforts to override markets infantilize the governed by precluding decision makers’ responses to prices is consistent with his position that government lacks the information needed to manage scarcity. Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2021 All of this impacts the bottom line: When leaders infantilize those reporting to them, there’s no room left for risk-taking or learning from mistakes. Lisa Schmidt, Forbes, 21 May 2021 The ash barrels lining the street and the ramshackle buildings and the friendly visitors to the poor dominate and infantilize them. Longreads, 20 July 2019 Yet both Chozick and Alter refer to Clinton by her first name alone — a practice long used to dismiss and infantilize the person being named. New York Times, 18 May 2018 In other offspring news, the president managed to degrade and infantilize what is by all accounts his favorite child. Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2017 See More
Daniel Buck, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 The church also tends to misunderstand, infantilize and even demonize those who question. The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Aug. 2022 Movies can overromanticize, infantilize or instill incongruously adult wisdom in young characters. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2022 His position that nanny-state efforts to override markets infantilize the governed by precluding decision makers’ responses to prices is consistent with his position that government lacks the information needed to manage scarcity. Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2021 All of this impacts the bottom line: When leaders infantilize those reporting to them, there’s no room left for risk-taking or learning from mistakes. Lisa Schmidt, Forbes, 21 May 2021 The ash barrels lining the street and the ramshackle buildings and the friendly visitors to the poor dominate and infantilize them. Longreads, 20 July 2019 Yet both Chozick and Alter refer to Clinton by her first name alone — a practice long used to dismiss and infantilize the person being named. New York Times, 18 May 2018 In other offspring news, the president managed to degrade and infantilize what is by all accounts his favorite child. Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2017 See More Word History
First Known Use
1931, in the meaning defined at sense 2
- earthpeas
- earthquake
- earthquake insurance
- earthquake sea wave
- earthquake wave
- earthquake-proof
- earthquaked
- earthquaken
- earthquakes
- earthquaking
- earthquaky
- earthrise
- earthrises
- earths
- earthsets
- earthshaker
- earthshakers
- earthshaking
- earthshakingly
- earthshine
- earthshines
- earthshock
- earthstar
- earthstars
- earthtongue