girlish

[gur-lish]

adjective

1. of, like, or befitting a girl or girlhood.

   girlish laughter.

ˈgirlish

/ ˈɡɜːlɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or like a girl in looks, behaviour, innocence, etc

Other Word Forms

• girlishly adverb
• girlishness noun
• ungirlish adjective
• ungirlishly adverb
• ungirlishness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of girlish¹

First recorded in 1555–65; girl + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

Katherine LaNasa’s radiant smile is contagious enough, but when she let out that girlish squeal after a clearly unexpected victory, I felt her excitement in my bones.

From Los Angeles Times

With a gimlet eye and a surprisingly girlish laugh, Vera is cantankerous, impatient, intensely private, unapologetically disheveled and utterly glorious.

From Los Angeles Times

She could be sweet, evil, overbearing, put-upon, thoughtful, impulsive, girlish, vulnerable or manipulative and superimpose selected qualities for extra complexity, always with a compressed energy, obvious or veiled.

From Los Angeles Times

She wears mini skirts with girlish ruffles and small kitten heels to begin with, before adopting her distinctive pinup aesthetic as she dives deeper into the music industry and her self-destructive habits.

From New York Times

In a quick and girlish gesture, she gathered her skirts to sit.

From Literature