Definition of "infantilism" [infantilism]

• A state of arrested development in an adult, characterized by retention of infantile mentality, accompanied by stunted growth and sexual immaturity, and often by dwarfism. (noun)
• Marked immaturity, as in behavior or character: "infantilism, which is the subtext of so much American cinema and culture” ( John Simon). (noun)
• An infantile act or remark. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Japanese infantilism is so heavily sexualized it would make Americans ... well, hysterical."
• "Poetic feeling does not derive simply from the expression of the emotions nevertheless unbridled egotism, a form of infantilism, is difficult to avoid in the early stages of writing."
• "To top the charts at 93 is quite something, and especially for an uncompromising scholar who attributes rock'n'roll to "infantilism"."