infantilized

adjective

as in infantile

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of infantilized When one friend is habitually the payer, others may feel grateful, indebted, infantilized or even relieved. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026 Del Toro presents Oscar Isaac’s Frankenstein and Elordi’s Creature less as equals terrorizing each other and more as an abusive father and neglected son, a dynamic that keeps the Creature in a sort of infantilized state. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infantilized
  1. infantile
  2. childish
  3. babyish
  4. adolescent
  5. young
  6. juvenile
  7. immature
Adjective
  • Surely the infantile nature of it seems designed to appeal to one figure and one figure alone, which leads to an ambiguity left open during Rubio’s presentation.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
  • At 8 months, the child was also diagnosed with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy.
    — Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of infantile
Adjective
  • Yet my first response was a childish pride that Dad had been deemed important enough to attract Hoover’s attention.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • There has always been a childish aspect to him — in a good way — and his curiosity hasn’t dimmed even as his age has advanced.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of childish
Adjective
  • Suzanne O’Donnell, an accomplished regional theater actor with a lot of Shakespeare on her resume, plays Penrose as both a warm mothering figure to these two occasionally babyish men but does not downplay the character’s pragmatic side.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Paige is little more than a dumb blonde stereotype, another underwritten female character in Sheridan’s growing oeuvre, but Chapman laces her babyish whining with surprising bite, while showing a knack for physical comedy.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of babyish
Adjective
  • It was used in the 1820 Missouri Compromise to establish the limits of human bondage in the still adolescent United States and became synonymous with the fundamental divisions that exploded into the Civil War four decades later.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Ile began her career as an adolescent, singing backup vocals for Calle 13, the band started by her brothers, Residente and Visitante (René Pérez Joglar and Eduardo Cabra Martínez).
    — Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of adolescent
Adjective
  • Désir, a married father of two young children, is among several people accused of helping advance the conspiracy that culminated in Moïse’s killing.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Room for Disagreement Duke, the editor-in-chief, argues the publication reflects where younger American media consumers are heading.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of young
Adjective
  • Not the first time This week, police said another 15-year-old, who is a repeat juvenile offender, carjacked someone at a gas station in the 2300-block of Harford Road.
    — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • This is a musical in a very mainstream pop mode of supple but almost juvenile high voices singing banal lyrics to catchy melodies with rather bombastic production.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of juvenile
Adjective
  • The immature eccentric initially has no plans to head back to the States, until Christy convinces him to stand tall and fight.
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Mestre sees opportunities to finance manufacturing expansion and consolidate Europe's fragmented defense supply chain, and considers the rapidly evolving drone market too immature for Weinberg's traditional buyout strategy.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of immature

Browse Nearby Words

infantile
infantilized
infantine
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Cite this Entry

“Infantilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infantilized. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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