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childish

[ chahyl-dish ]
/ ˈtʃaɪl dɪʃ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR childish

adjective

of, like, or befitting a child: childish games.
puerile; weak; silly: childish fears.

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Origin of childish

before 1000; Middle English childisch,Old English cildisc.See child, -ish1

ANTONYMS FOR childish

mature, adult.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR childish

synonym study for childish

2. 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 WORDS FROM childish

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH childish

childish , childlike (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby childish

childfree, child guidance, childhood, childhood muscular dystrophy, childing, childish, child labor, child labor laws, child labour, childlike, childly
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to childish

naive, foolish, youthful, childlike, adolescent, baby, callow, frivolous, green, infantile, innocent, jejune, juvenile, puerile, unsophisticated, young, kid stuff, infantine

Example sentences from the Web for childish

British Dictionary definitions for childish

childish
/ (ˈtʃaɪldɪʃ) /

adjective

in the manner of, belonging to, or suitable to a child
foolish or petty; puerilechildish fears

Derived forms of childish

childishly, adverbchildishness, noun
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