coltish
Americanadjective
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playful; frolicsome.
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of, relating to, or resembling a colt.
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not trained or disciplined; unruly; wild.
adjective
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inexperienced; unruly
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playful and lively
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of coltish
Explanation
An energetic, playful person can be described as coltish. A coltish preschooler might skip happily across the room and then slide to a stop in her socks. There's something a little young and awkward implied in the word coltish, which arose in the 14th century from the sense of a colt, or young horse, as a lively, frolicking, long-legged creature. Skinny-legged teenagers dashing around a mall are coltish, and a soccer team of five year-olds is made up of happy, coltish players.
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.
One of the youngsters was a coltish winger from Carmagnola, a pretty market town just south of Turin.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2023
The requirements of intimacy acting aside, she brings coltish physicality and expressive flush to all her scenes — whether lonely or laughing, aggravated or emboldened.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2022
And those girls are indeed a light: Sidney and Singleton show giggly chemistry as sisters and coltish joy on the tennis courts.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2021
But the Met orchestra sounded warm and alive, if a little uncharacteristically coltish at times, eager but a little sloppy.
From Washington Post • Apr. 28, 2019
Mindful of being a teenaged upstart in the company of such seasoned track deities as Jesse Owens and Glenn Cunningham, Louie curbed his coltish impulses and began growing a mustache.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
