as in immature
having or showing the annoying qualities (as silliness) associated with children
you almost spoiled the ceremony for everyone with your childish giggling
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Recent Examples of childish
Any version of art for art’s sake has always seemed a little childish to me, a bit of adolescent posturing (the phrase was apparently especially beloved by members of the 19th century Aesthetic Movement, one of the high points of a certain kind of brattiness).
—
Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Very unprofessional and very very childish.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer referred to an earlier video, also featuring Jeffries in a sombrero, as childish and evidence that the White House and the GOP were unserious about the shutdown.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
Because, really, that childish interaction is based in love, right?
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for childish
Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Very unprofessional and very very childish.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer referred to an earlier video, also featuring Jeffries in a sombrero, as childish and evidence that the White House and the GOP were unserious about the shutdown.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
Because, really, that childish interaction is based in love, right?
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for childish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childish
Adjective
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Noah's sister-in-law Esther (Jackie Tohn), the Jewish character portrayed most insultingly last year, has thankfully been softened and refined, and has somehow become the lone voice of reason amongst a group of immature idiots.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
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Stem cells are immature cells that have the ability to turn into insulin-producing beta cells and to produce more cells like themselves.—
Tara Haelle,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Biden Administration's contrary position depended on the obvious fallacy that providing testosterone to treat a boy's endocrine disorder is the 'same treatment' as using the drug to disrupt the normal physical development of an adolescent girl suffering from psychological distress.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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Did an adolescent Bruce really have to walk into bars and collect his father, at the urging of his mother?—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Starring Daniel Chen and based on Chen’s life, Bad Boy tells the story of Dean, who is imprisoned in a cruel juvenile detention facility.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
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In August 2020, five orcas chased a juvenile white shark, pushed it to the surface, and flipped it onto its back.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Childish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childish. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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