childish
Americanadjective
-
of, like, or befitting a child.
childish games.
-
puerile; weak; silly.
childish fears.
adjective
-
in the manner of, belonging to, or suitable to a child
-
foolish or petty; puerile
childish fears
Related Words
Childish, infantile, childlike refer to characteristics or qualities of childhood. The ending -ish often has unfavorable connotations; childish therefore refers to characteristics that are undesirable and unpleasant: childish selfishness, outbursts of temper. Infantile, originally a general word, now often carries an even stronger idea of disapproval or scorn than does childish: infantile reasoning, behavior. The ending -like has pleasing or neutral connotations; childlike therefore refers to the characteristics that are desirable and admirable: childlike innocence, trust.
Other Word Forms
- childishly adverb
- childishness noun
- overchildish adjective
- overchildishly adverb
- overchildishness noun
- unchildish adjective
- unchildishly adverb
- unchildishness noun
Etymology
Origin of childish
First recorded before 1000; Middle English childisch, Old English cildisc; child + -ish 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Initially, “Lord of the Flies” is all childish adventure: swimming in a lagoon, climbing a mountain.
"It was a childish escapade that got out of hand very quickly with tragic consequences," he said.
From BBC
How could such a big, strong man have such a childish weakness?
From Literature
"We were just nowhere near it really. We were never in this game in any aspect. We looked like a childish team that had no intent about us," Parker said.
From Barron's
She sounded very childish, suddenly, her voice thin in the huge forest.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
