man-child
noun
plural men-children
ˈmen-ˌchil-drən 
-dərn
1
: a male child : son
… it came to her what a glory it would be to be the mother of a man-child like this.—
Jack London
Jack London2
: a man who has the qualities of a child : a childlike man
… a largely likable tale about a 38-year-old man-child trying finally to grow up.—Manohla Dargis
Manohla DargisExamples of man-child in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Not even Dunst could elevate this slapdash slice of man-child drivel.
33.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024
In the classic 1960 movie, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring a twittering, stammering Anthony Perkins, Norman is a psychotic, murderer man-child zealously guarding a secret: he’s murdered his mother and stashed her mummified corpse in the basement.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
Whether in the interview scenes or in the flashbacks, his hushed intensity suggests a fractured man-child who was never properly socialized.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Paul Reubens | Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Reubens, an actor and comedian who was best known for his beloved man-child character Pee-wee Herman but also appeared in numerous other film and TV projects, died July 30.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for man-child 
Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024
In the classic 1960 movie, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring a twittering, stammering Anthony Perkins, Norman is a psychotic, murderer man-child zealously guarding a secret: he’s murdered his mother and stashed her mummified corpse in the basement.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
Whether in the interview scenes or in the flashbacks, his hushed intensity suggests a fractured man-child who was never properly socialized.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Paul Reubens | Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Reubens, an actor and comedian who was best known for his beloved man-child character Pee-wee Herman but also appeared in numerous other film and TV projects, died July 30.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for man-child
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'man-child.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Man-child.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man-child. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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