Meanings
comparative more infantile · superlative most infantile
- Pertaining to infants.
infantile paralysis
2 more examples
They and the old North London tanks at Richmond long ago were the first engines on which my infantile eyes rested, be it said with an admiration that the years have never dimmed.
1957 February 28, Henry Maxwell, “A Sentimental Journey”, in Railway Magazine, page 82Eustace gaped at him in amazement. When his urbanity dropped away from him, as now, he had an innocence of expression which was almost infantile. It was as if the world had never touched him at all.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 9, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveChildish; immature.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latininfantilis“pertaining to an infant”
- Englishinfantile
Mid-15th century, "pertaining to infants," from Latin infantilis (“pertaining to an infant”), equivalent to infant + -ile, from īnfāns. Sense of "infant-like" is from 1772.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian детски, детински
- детски (detski)pertaining to infants
- детински (detinski)childish; immature
- инфантилен (infantilen)childish; immature
Catalan infantil, infantil
- infantilpertaining to infants
- infantilchildish; immature
Czech infantilní, dětinský
- infantilníchildish; immature
- dětinskýchildish; immature
Dutch infantiel, kinderlijk
- infantielchildish; immature
- kinderlijkchildish; immature
- kinderachtigchildish; immature
French infantile, infantile
- infantilepertaining to infants
- infantilechildish; immature
German infantil, kindisch
- infantilpertaining to infants
- kindischpertaining to infants
- albernpertaining to infants
Hebrew ילדותי, ילדותי
- ילדותי (yalduti)pertaining to infants
- ילדותי (yalduti)childish; immature
- אינפנטילי (infantili)childish; immature
Hungarian infantilis
- infantilischildish; immature
Italian infantile, infantile
- infantilepertaining to infants
- infantilechildish; immature
- puerilechildish; immature
Polish dziecięcy, infantylny
- dziecięcypertaining to infants
- infantylnychildish; immature
- dziecinnychildish; immature
Slovak infantilný, detinský
- infantilnýchildish; immature
- detinskýchildish; immature
Spanish infantil, pueril
- infantilpertaining to infants
- puerilpertaining to infants
- infantilchildish; immature
- puerilchildish; immature
- aniñadochildish; immature
Swedish infantil, infantil
- infantilpertaining to infants
- infantilchildish; immature
Turkish çocuksal, çocukça
- çocuksalpertaining to infants
- çocukçachildish; immature
- çocuksuchildish; immature
Ukrainian інфанти́льний
- інфанти́льний (infantýlʹnyj)childish; immature
Cite this entry
infantile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infantile
“infantile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infantile. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “infantile,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infantile.
Source: infantile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.