adult baby syndrome
/əˌdʌltˌbeɪ̯.biˈsɪn.dɹoʊm/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.10 in modern English
31
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
4
Syllables
13
Unique Chars
Meaning
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.
Informal; Offensive; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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."
- "These two cases were both characterized as antisocial behavior, with a predominant emphasis on the fetishistic or sexual aspects of wearing diapers and rubber pants. Unlike Mr. A, neither patient had all of the characteristics of adult baby syndrome."
- "Another variation at least sometimes associated with sexual arousal is adult baby syndrome, in which an adult is motivated to act like an infant, wearing diapers, drinking milk from a bottle, eating baby food, and doing other things associated with infants."
- "Many such individuals experienced intimacy as dangerous or deadly during childhood, and avoid it for the rest of their lives. An example is infantilism, or adult baby syndrome (dressing as a baby, wearing diapers, and acting as a child), which is performed to coerce others into a quasi-maternal role that utterly negates their subjectivity."
- "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'. It is a sexual fetish that sees adults role-playing and regressing to a child-like state, often to help them deal with childhood trauma and abandonment issues."
Etymology
From adult baby + syndrome. First attested as early as 21 March 1994, but popularised in academia by a 2003 research paper (see quotations).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˌdʌltˌbeɪ̯.biˈsɪn.dɹoʊm/
- British English: /ˌæd.ʌltˌbeɪ̯.biˈsɪn.drəʊm/