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

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

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

I laughed at myself, and the man with the boyish smile laughed with me.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Brundage found himself immersed in the online culture of trash-talking, memes, boyish jokes and, ultimately, hacking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

For some reason, despite their boyish features they have thick beards.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 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

That he was meant to be a boy, or at least to live as a boy, to live in the blur between a boyish girl and a girlish boy.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan