boyish

American  

[boi-ish] / ˈbɔɪ ɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or befitting a boy; engagingly youthful or innocent.

   a boyish grin.

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boyish British  

/ ˈbɔɪɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or like a boy in looks, behaviour, or character, esp when regarded as attractive or endearing

   a boyish smile

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Other Word Forms

• boyishness
  noun
• unboyishness
  noun
• unboyish
  adjective
• boyishly
  adverb
• unboyishly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of boyish

First recorded in 1540–50; boy + -ish ¹

Explanation

If you're boyish, you resemble or act like a young boy. Your uncle's boyish features might keep him charming and attractive even as he grows older. When you describe someone as having boyish charm, it means that person — often an adult man — has kept some youth or sweetness as he's matured. A boyish smile might be full of humor and mischief. The earliest meaning of boyish, in the 1540s, was simply "pertaining to boys," and it grew to mean "childishly silly," before gaining its current meaning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boyish

Salonen was on the jury of the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition that Dudamel won and phoned Borda from Bamberg, famously describing the boyish Dudamel as “a conducting animal.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Ms. Sampson dwells particularly on the author’s weakness for boyish geniuses in need of mothering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

He’s more charismatic than Starmer, that much is undeniable, with a kind of boyish charm, and he can do “normal bloke” better than Starmer can.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

Models Bella Hadid and Loli Bahia have also sported them with boyish style, adopting a long-standing tradition of wearing the necktie as a subversive projection of women's equal rights.

From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026

"I felt his return to Germany had been something of a boyish lark and he had ended up trapped...still there was something serious about him."

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple