callow

[ kal-oh ]

/ ˈkæl oʊ /

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adjective

immature or inexperienced: a callow youth.

(of a young bird) featherless; unfledged.

noun

a recently hatched worker ant.

Nearby words

Origin of callow

before 1000; Middle English, Old English calu bald; cognate with Dutch kaal, German kahl bald, OCS golŭ bare

SYNONYMS FOR callow

1. untried, green, raw; naive, puerile, jejune.

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ANTONYMS FOR callow

1. mature, adult, experienced.

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Related formscal·low·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for callow

Anyone going through Prozac Nation can certainly find plenty of callow moments when Wurtzel does whine.
Thank You, Elizabeth Wurtzel: ‘Prozac Nation’ Turns 20|Nicolaus Mills|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But now that veneer is gone, and what remains is a callow man-child at odds with himself.
What's Happened to Don Draper? Why Everyone’s Favorite ‘Mad Men’ Stud Needs His Mojo Back|Lizzie Crocker|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is clearly not a boast; it seems, rather, a shamed admission of petty, callow cruelty.
In Defense of Jonathan Franzen|Michelle Goldberg|September 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The last thing we should do is help the callow—and dangerous—Kim continue his rule.
North Korea’s Dangerous Hostage Game|Gordon G. Chang|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In this callow atmosphere, Brooke Astor would never be an icon, but she is remembered with nostalgia.
Brooke Astor’s Estate Is Auctioned, and a Friend Recalls Her Fondly|Barbara Goldsmith|September 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This is what that charming Saint Francois de Sales calls somewhere "les pretres blancs-becs," callow priests.
Les Misrables|Victor Hugo
I recommend the system to all callow Yankees, commencing a "pushing business."
Pencillings by the Way|N. Parker Willis
Her age was the favorite theme of the callow witling, her cause a never-failing subject for reproach and abuse.
The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 2 of 2)|Ida Husted Harper
The Cuckoo might be callow in some respects, but in others she was very much up-to-date.
For the Sake of the School|Angela Brazil
He was a dolt who confused genuine passion with the milder preferences of callow youth.
Flood Tide|Sara Ware Bassett

British Dictionary definitions for callow

callow

/ (ˈkæləʊ) /

adjective

lacking experience of life; immature

rare (of a young bird) unfledged and usually lacking feathers

Derived Formscallowness, noun

Word Origin for callow

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

Callow

/ (ˈkæləʊ) /

noun

Simon. born 1949, British actor and theatre director

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for callow

callow

adj.

Old English calu "bare, bald," probably from West Germanic *kalwaz (cf. Middle Dutch calu, Dutch kaal, Old High German kalo, German Kahl), perhaps from Latin or Celtic. From young birds with no feathers, meaning extended to any young inexperienced thing or creature (1570s). Apparently not from Latin calvus "bald."

callow

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of callow

Examples from the Web for callow

callow

adjective

Word Origin for callow

Callow

noun

callow