Word.ws English Dictionary

adult baby syndrome

Syllables: a·dult ba·by syn·dromeUK/ˌæd.ʌltˌbeɪ̯.biˈsɪn.drəʊm/US/əˌdʌltˌbeɪ̯.biˈsɪn.dɹoʊm/

adult baby syndrome noun: a condition or desire in which one takes on the role of an infant or toddler, usually by wearing diapers, engaging in child-like activities and engaging with childish paraphernalia, whether sexual (autonepiophilia) or non-sexual; infantilism, often believed to be the result of childhood trauma, neglect or abuse.

Noun

adult baby syndrome (uncountable)

  1. (informal, offensive, possibly, uncommon) A condition or desire in which one takes on the role of an infant or toddler, usually by wearing diapers, engaging in child-like activities and engaging with childish paraphernalia, whether sexual (autonepiophilia) or non-sexual; infantilism, often believed to be the result of childhood trauma, neglect or abuse.
    • We cater to all sexual lifestyles. Women free, discounts for couples. Lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual, adult baby syndrome, water sports, slaves, masters, mistresses, TV, TS, cross dressers, kink, fetishes and more.1994 March 21, “Alternate Lifestyles BBS”, in MicroTimes, number 121 (advertisement), page 181
    • I believe it is called the "adult baby syndrome", and is a form of psychosis. One of my colleagues who is interested in the decay of Western society said that there is a paper on the Net about ABS. Apparently, one can use Alta Vista or some other text searcher to find such things.1996 June 18, Mark S. Schmalz, “Something so outrageous I can't believe this one...”, in alt.culture.hawaii (Usenet)

Examples of adult baby syndrome in a sentence

  • A, neither patient had all of the characteristics of adult baby syndrome.2003 November, Jennifer E. Pate, Glen O. Gabbard, “Adult Baby Syndrome”, in American Journal of Psychiatry, volume 160, number 11, American...
  • While it is unknown if Eastwood’s condition has been clinically examined, people who identify as babies usually suffer from paraphilic infantilism, otherwise known as 'adult baby syndrome'.2022 April 10, Gergana Krasteva, “Shoelace strangler now identifies as a baby who wears nappies in prison”, in Metro:

Origin of adult baby syndrome

From adult baby + syndrome. First attested as early as 21 March 1994, but popularised in academia by a 2003 research paper (see quotations).

Questions about adult baby syndrome

What does adult baby syndrome mean?
Adult baby syndrome means a condition or desire in which one takes on the role of an infant or toddler, usually by wearing diapers, engaging in child-like activities and engaging with childish paraphernalia, whether sexual (autonepiophilia) or non-sexual; infantilism, often believed to be the result of childhood trauma, neglect or abuse.
How do you use adult baby syndrome in a sentence?
A, neither patient had all of the characteristics of adult baby syndrome.
What part of speech is adult baby syndrome?
Adult baby syndrome is a noun.
How do you pronounce adult baby syndrome?
Adult baby syndrome is pronounced /ˌæd.ʌltˌbeɪ̯.biˈsɪn.drəʊm/ (UK).

Words near adult baby syndrome in the dictionary

  1. adult actresses
  2. adult album alternative
  3. adult alternative
  4. adult babies
  5. adult baby
  6. adult baby syndrome
  7. adult beverage
  8. adult beverages
  9. adult bookstore
  10. adult bookstores
  11. adult child

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: adult baby syndrome (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “adult baby syndrome.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/adult_baby_syndrome. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.