Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

infantile

/ˈɪnfəntaɪl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.82 in modern English

Syllables: in-fan-tile
IPA: /ˈɪnfəntaɪl/

12

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Pertaining to infants.

adj

Childish; immature.

Example Sentences

"infantile paralysis"
"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."
"Eustace 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."

Etymology

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.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: infantilis

Inflected Forms

more infantile (comparative) most infantile (superlative)

Derived Forms

infantilely infantileness infantilise infantilism infantilist infantility noninfantile

Phrases

early infantile autism infantile autism infantile dementia infantile paralysis progressive infantile poliodystrophy

Synonyms

juvenile puerile babish babyish bairnish childish dootsie hissy lactifluous infantile infantine immature

Questions

How do you pronounce infantile?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɪnfəntaɪl/.
What does infantile mean?: Pertaining to infants.
Where does infantile come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce infantile

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “infantile”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɪnfəntaɪl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “infantile”.
Repeat and practice — Say “infantile” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.