infantilizing
Making someone seem
Infantilizing means treating someone as less capable, mature, or autonomous than they are—essentially treating an adult like a child.
The term usually carries criticism: Stop infantilizing me; I can make my own decisions.
Institutions, policies, or attitudes that deny people agency or oversimplify choices for them are called infantilizing.
The noun is infantilization.
Causing painful embarrassment
- degradingLowering in worth
- insultingShowing contempt through words
- disrespectfulShowing lack of regard
- mockingScornfully imitating or ridiculing
ridiculing · sneering · taunting · disparaging · derogatory · diminishing · devaluing · denigrating
Overindulgent, protective treatment
- babyingTreating as helpless
- smotheringDepriving of air
- helicopteringExcessive parental supervision
- hoveringSuspended without support
shielding · mollycoddling · cosseting · pampering · mothering · nannying · fussing · suffocating
Treating someone as inferior
- dumbing-downReducing intellectual content
- oversimplifyingRemoving necessary complexity
- paternalisticRestrictive under guise of care
- maternalisticExcessively nurturing and controlling
sugarcoating · underestimating · dismissive · belittling · demeaning · trivializing · reductive · simplistic
Weakening by covert means
- stiflingOppressively hot and close
- incapacitatingMaking unable to act
- enfeeblingCausing loss of strength
- weakeningBecoming less strong
disabling · handicapping · crippling · marginalizing · invalidating · silencing · overcontrolling · dominating
humiliating
Causing painful embarrassment
- degradingLowering in worth
- insultingShowing contempt through words
- disrespectfulShowing lack of regard
mocking · ridiculing · sneering · taunting · disparaging · derogatory · diminishing · devaluing · denigrating · discrediting
coddling
Overindulgent, protective treatment
- babyingTreating as helpless
- smotheringDepriving of air
- helicopteringExcessive parental supervision
hovering · shielding · mollycoddling · cosseting · pampering · mothering · nannying · fussing · suffocating · sheltering
patronizing
Treating someone as inferior
- dumbing-downReducing intellectual content
- oversimplifyingRemoving necessary complexity
- paternalisticRestrictive under guise of care
maternalistic · sugarcoating · underestimating · dismissive · belittling · demeaning · trivializing · reductive · simplistic · syrupy
undermining
Weakening by covert means
- stiflingOppressively hot and close
- incapacitatingMaking unable to act
- enfeeblingCausing loss of strength
weakening · disabling · handicapping · crippling · marginalizing · invalidating · silencing · overcontrolling · dominating · suppressing
- condescendingpatronizing, disdainful, scornful, dismissive, belittling
- overparentinghelicopter parenting, helicopter parent, overprotective, overprotection, overprotecting
- ableismableism, stigma, prejudice, discrimination, exclusion
- microaggressionsmicroaggression, othering, invalidation, dismissiveness, belittling
- mistreatmentbullying, harassing, intimidating, oppressing, humiliating
- biasprejudice, racism, bigotry, sexism, ageism
infantilizingempowering
Giving authority or confidence
trusting · liberating · hands-off · delegating · laissez-faire
infantilizingempowering
Giving authority or confidence
elevating · enabling · building up · affirming · validating
infantilizingdignifying
Giving unearned respect
respecting · honoring · esteeming · validating · egalitarian
infant, infancy, infantile, infanticide, infantilize, infantilism, infantilized, infantilization, infantilizes