childish

adjective child·ish \ ˈchī(-ə)l-dish \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: childish in a Sentence

Definition of childish

1 : of, relating to, or befitting a child or childhood

childish desires for toys

2 a : marked by or suggestive of immaturity and lack of poise

a childish spiteful remark

b : lacking complexity : simple

it's a childish device, but it works

c : deteriorated with age especially in mind : senile

his parents … were both getting childish and needed care
—Pearl Buck

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childishly

adverb

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childishness

noun

See childish defined for English-language learners

See childish defined for kids

Examples of childish in a Sentence

She has a childish face.
a letter written in childish scrawl
He opened the gifts with childish delight.
We're tired of their childish games.
I find his humor very childish.

Recent Examples of childish from the Web

And the first few minutes of Jill Oliver's vulgar, trashy, childish romp reveal unexpected layers of additional idiocy.

— justin hayford, Chicago Reader, "Adventures of Spirit Force Five," 12 July 2018
This is, alas, the Yahweh of the early Hebrews, a fickle, petulant, seemingly amoral deity whose childish obsession is with proving himself top banana in the pantheon of primitive gods.

— sam sacks, WSJ, "Fiction: A Depraved and Beautiful Dream of the World," 12 July 2018
Fed up with childish City Hall politics, Flynn did not run again last year.

— jason williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX column: As always, Kevin Flynn keeps his word, rises out of wheelchair at daughter's wedding," 9 July 2018
For The Washington Free Beacon, there is something childish about Ocasio-Cortez.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is driving conservatives ’round the bend.," 6 July 2018
Eagles stand tall to Trump's childish behavior & builds us up, unites us as one!

— patricia madej, Philly.com, "Kenney doesn't hold back on Trump after Eagles' canceled White House visit, and gets some new fans," 6 June 2018
Sachina’s 18, and after dating Yuudai for four years, she’s grown out of his childish behavior.

— mariah smith, The Cut, "This Episode of Terrace House Is Brimming With Exes," 6 June 2018
No matter what revelations come to mind, some of these comments were so tawdry and almost childish.

— Fox News, "Former agent fires back at calls to abolish ICE," 30 June 2018
His love for 'banter' and joking around make him of the most likeable, but also childish, footballers around.

— SI.com, "6 Players That Never Grew Up," 24 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'childish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of childish

see child

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

childish Synonyms

CHILDISH Defined for English Language Learners

childish

adjective

Definition of childish for English Language Learners

: of a child or typical of a child; especially : having or showing the unpleasant qualities (such as silliness or lack of maturity) that children often have