Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for callow

callow

[ kal-oh ]

adjective

  1. immature or inexperienced:

    a callow youth.

    Synonyms: jejune, puerile, naive, raw, green, unseasoned

    Antonyms: grown-up, experienced, adult, mature

  2. (of a young bird) featherless; unfledged.


noun

  1. a recently hatched worker ant.

Callow

1

/ ˈkæləʊ /

noun

  1. CallowSimon1949MBritishTHEATRE: actorTHEATRE: theatre directorWRITING: author Simon. born 1949, British actor and theatre director


callow

2

/ ˈkæləʊ /

adjective

  1. lacking experience of life; immature
  2. rare.
    (of a young bird) unfledged and usually lacking feathers

Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈcallowness, noun

Discover More

Other Words From

  • callow·ness noun

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of callow1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English calu “bald”; cognate with Dutch kaal, German kahl “bald,” Old Church Slavonic golŭ “bare”

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of callow1

Old English calu; related to Old High German kalo, Old Slavonic golú bare, naked, Lithuanian galva head, Latin calvus bald

Discover More

Example Sentences

That was what I sought when, as a callow and hormonal high school student, I first discovered Lawrence.

Anyone going through Prozac Nation can certainly find plenty of callow moments when Wurtzel does whine.

But now that veneer is gone, and what remains is a callow man-child at odds with himself.

This is clearly not a boast; it seems, rather, a shamed admission of petty, callow cruelty.

The last thing we should do is help the callow—and dangerous—Kim continue his rule.

In this callow atmosphere, Brooke Astor would never be an icon, but she is remembered with nostalgia.

There lay the callow brood marked out by Nature and man, for her ministrations.

Next morning early they sent in their 'callow' verses to the great man, and followed shortly themselves.

When he was haled into court, despite his callow years, he came with insolent confidence, as one above the law.

"I wonder the rebels had the courage to pursue you," said a very callow youth named Graves.

As I looked at the two callow things in the grass, a dismay and weak helplessness quite overcame me.

Advertisement

Related Words

Word of the Day

petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


calloutCalloway