girlish
adjective
of, like, or befitting a girl or girlhood.
girlishness
-
a word derived from
girlish.
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.
Ms. Hoffman’s Desdemona has a pronounced, wide-eyed girlishness that makes her confusion at her husband’s suspicions and growing antagonism pitiful to watch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
“There was a girlishness to Shiv back then, but she has transformed into a woman,” she said, “and that reflects my own journey as part of the series.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2023
In the script, she wrote herself the stage direction “HEIDI releases any last remnants of the buoyant, performative girlishness that is one of her lifelong coping mechanisms.”
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 11, 2019
That’s where, in the script, she’s written a stage direction that makes me gulp: “Heidi releases any last remnants of the buoyant, performative girlishness that is one of her lifelong coping mechanisms.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 12, 2018
When he had talked with her a little while he did notice that she looked older; the girlishness, with its expression of frank gaiety, had faded during the past eighteen months.
From The Bigamist by F.E. Mills Young
