childish

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

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

Understand that your reaction feels childish because our sibling relationships have a way of taking us back to childhood.

— amy dickinson, chicagotribune.com, "Married couple might put a stamp on arguments," 1 Sep. 2017
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred instantly recognized the childish affront.

— phillip morris, cleveland.com, "Frank Jackson hands Zack Reed a Hail Mary opportunity: Phillip Morris," 5 Nov. 2017
Overwhelmingly, though, there's a certain childish glee in becoming a Chain Chomp or a Cheep Cheep or a Hammer Bros., gaining full control of their traditionally antagonistic powers.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Super Mario Odyssey review: Mario’s densest, deepest adventure yet," 26 Oct. 2017
While the onesie can err on the side of childish, the piece was elevated with a clever use of accessories, starting with braided sandals that coordinated nicely with the abstract motif on her jumpsuit.

— maria ward, Vogue, "Sienna Miller Shows How to Wear the (Affordable) Jumpsuit Like a Grown-Up," 3 Oct. 2017
Those sanctions, more than dangerous and childish name-calling, offer the last hope of forcing Kim to bargain away his nukes.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "How to tame Kim Jong Un? Tough sanctions, not insults. | Trudy Rubin," 29 Sep. 2017
Back on the north side of town, Archie tries to convince his dad that his shooter also attacked Grundy, Midge, and Moose, but Fred dismisses his childish ramblings.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "'Riverdale' Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: Veronica's Dad Gets Even Creepier," 25 Oct. 2017
But Hole’s wish is granted almost instantaneously, in the form of a mysterious note addressed to him, written in a childish scrawl, and signed with a stick-figure snowman.

— christopher orr, The Atlantic, "How The Snowman Melts," 20 Oct. 2017
Ada County District Judge Steven Hippler described the murder of Russell as senseless, meaningless, foolish and childish, sentencing both of the men to life in prison.

— ruth brown, idahostatesman, "2 men sentenced to life in prison for fatal Garden City shooting," 13 Oct. 2017

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