Skip to content

infantile

childish, infantile

adjective an-fahn-TEEL Rare
Body & Health Health & Illness

Origin: Latin infantilis, from infans (infant)

Also means

relating to infants or early childhood

Usage Note

Infantile can be a neutral medical term (maladie infantile = childhood disease) or a pejorative label for adult behaviour that seems childish. In psychology, régression infantile refers to retreating to childlike behaviour under stress. The noun l'infantilisme describes the broader pattern.

Examples

"Son comportement est vraiment infantile."

Natural Translation

His behaviour is really childish.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic