adult baby

a·dult ba·by
UK/ˌæd.ʌltˈbeɪ̯.bi/UK/ˌæd.əltˈbeɪ̯.bi/US/əˌdʌltˈbeɪ̯.bi/

noun

An adult person who enjoys role-playing a regression to an infant-like state and acting like a baby or toddler, as through wearing diapers, engaging in babylike activities, babbling, etc., generally for sexual gratification.

Meanings

nounadult baby (plural adult babies)

plural adult babies

  1. lifestyleAn adult person who enjoys role-playing a regression to an infant-like state and acting like a baby or toddler, as through wearing diapers, engaging in babylike activities, babbling, etc., generally for sexual gratification.

    Well, he appears to be an AB. You know, an adult baby. It's a fetish in which the baby is taken care of in every way by a mommy or a daddy.

    2002 October 3, Dee Johnson, “Dead Again” (at 23:18–23:27 from the start), in Richard Thorpe, director, ER, season 9, episode 2, spoken by Michael Gallant (Sharif Atkins)
    5 more examples

    By consenting to go along with Jerry's fetish, Barb set herself apart from the vast majority of women who live with adult babies. This makes her story not only unusual but significant. Instead of getting freaked out, as most women would have done, Barb has actually used it to add excitement to the couple's sex life.

    1983 December 28, Angela Herd, “Big Babies: The Fetish of Infantilism”, in Larry Flynt, editor, Hustler, volume 10, number 6, Larry Flynt Publications, page 60

    Diaper Pail Friends […] World's largest adult baby–diaper lover club. Thousands of members listed for contacts. Large selection of diapers, big baby clothing, videos, audio tapes, photos, directories, stories, books, case histories.

    1996, Bill Brent, editor, The Black Book, 4 edition, Black Books, →ISBN, page 49

    Adult babies may wear diapers or toddler clothes, sit in baby chairs, drink from baby bottles, sleep in cribs, and talk and act in a babylike fashion. Sometimes there are BDSM elements: The man may play a role in which returning to babyhood is a punishment to which he is forced to submit. Adult babies are not interested in sexual contacts with actual babies.

    2009, Simon LeVay, Janice Baldwin, Human Sexuality, 3 edition, Sinauer Associates, →ISBN, page 498

    Some people wrongly assume that adult baby fetishism is connected to paedophilia. In fact, paraphilic infantilism, also known as autonepiophilia, is the desire to return to an infant-like state, and infantilists are not attracted to children.

    2015 March 26, John Lucas, “This Is What a Night at One of London's Adult Baby Parties Is Actually Like”, in Vice

    Organisers of the Littles Lock In, which began in Edinburgh in 2016, say that the event will include a swing, a 22ft bouncy castle, an animatronic triceratops, a cinema playing cartoons, and a custom adult baby gym.

    2025 January 17, Alekia Gill, “Edinburgh to play host to unusual event where adults pretend to be babies”, in Deadline News

    Synonyms: infantilist, AB

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn adult person who enjoys role-playing a regression to an infant-like state and acting like a baby or toddler, as through wearing diapers, engaging in babylike activities, babbling, etc., generally for sexual gratification.

Origin

From adult + baby. Popularized 1980s, largely replacing infantilist outside psychology.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French bébé adulte
  • bébé adulteperson

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with adult baby

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

adult baby. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adult%20baby

MLA

“adult baby.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adult%20baby. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “adult baby,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adult%20baby.

Source: adult baby on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.