1
as in girlish
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2
as in tomboyish
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Recent Examples of boyish
Where at the beginning of the period, the boyish, figure-obscuring flapper dress was the au courant silhouette, by the end, fashion was shifting toward the more body-conscious bias cut.
—
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2026
Allen’s boyish charm will win over hearts again.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Blessed with wonderfully expressive, almost boyish faces, these actors are barely able to contain their excitement about taking this journey together.
—Jenny Lumet, Vanity Fair, 10 Feb. 2026
Olah is a boyish, elfin prodigy who, at nineteen, met Amodei on his first visit to the Bay Area.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The look on his face was pleased, flattered, almost boyish.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 28 Jan. 2026
People are still organizing themselves in hierarchies in an unspoken, boyish way.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
In the coming years, Garcia and Weir, initially a boyish figure next to his older and usually hairier bandmates, would become the faces of the Dead and its increasingly large cultural footprint.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Yet the boyish enthusiasm and goofiness that chess fans had come to know from his commentary and YouTube videos was no longer evident.
—Jordan Himelfarb, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2026
Allen’s boyish charm will win over hearts again.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Blessed with wonderfully expressive, almost boyish faces, these actors are barely able to contain their excitement about taking this journey together.
—Jenny Lumet, Vanity Fair, 10 Feb. 2026
Olah is a boyish, elfin prodigy who, at nineteen, met Amodei on his first visit to the Bay Area.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The look on his face was pleased, flattered, almost boyish.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 28 Jan. 2026
People are still organizing themselves in hierarchies in an unspoken, boyish way.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
In the coming years, Garcia and Weir, initially a boyish figure next to his older and usually hairier bandmates, would become the faces of the Dead and its increasingly large cultural footprint.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Yet the boyish enthusiasm and goofiness that chess fans had come to know from his commentary and YouTube videos was no longer evident.
—Jordan Himelfarb, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boyish
Adjective
-
Candiace ditched her glitzy Housewives looks in favor of prim and proper twin sets and girlish headbands that conveyed an image of innocence and charm, a masterful choice for a game in which perception is everything.—
Kevin Huynh,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
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Mulvaney’s penchant for girlish giggles and squeals between bites of her spaghetti pomodoro stand out in Arno, especially when juxtaposed against the sea of older gentlemen in an assortment of ill-fitting grey blazers sitting behind her at the bar.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Linda Kaye Henning charmed audiences as Betty Jo Bradley, the spirited and tomboyish youngest daughter on Petticoat Junction.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
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Off-duty, the actor can be found in statement outerwear and tomboyish button-ups and trousers.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The queen—blond, leggy, wearing dark glasses and a red flapper dress—lounges on an armchair while ministers in suits delight their childish king by dancing with him, turning him and his big belly in cartwheels and the like.—
Jennifer Homans,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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Hence the childish clown imagery in an era before coulrophobia was widely talked about.—
Fielding Buck,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Now Venerdì Pomeriggio promises to keep faith with Ponti’s signature girly and whimsical aesthetic but within a different business framework, hinged on smaller production, a sustainable focus and lower price points compared to her previous line.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
This look has a soft and girly vibe.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In the spring, Garrison starts tomatoes and other plants in the greenhouse, and her collection of citrus trees, hibiscus, macho ferns and Australian tree ferns make their home there in the winter.—
Mary Grace Granados,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Rather than finding redemption, however, Corby—unable to shed his macho tendencies—continues to suffer because of his own recklessness.—
Eric Magnuson,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boyish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boyish. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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