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
That’s the mark of a public servant who brings intellectual depth to his role, not someone deserving of childish attacks.
—
Aegis Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Aug. 2025
What originally looked like a one-off childish stunt—one that angered players and delighted some media members—has quickly grown into something much bigger.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 8 Aug. 2025
There resides brooding 16-year-old Billy 5000 (Jack Corbett), who has left his childish interests behind to become preoccupied with making money delivering food via an app called Grubster (the reference to a real-life service couldn’t be more intentional).
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 Aug. 2025
Chasing a music of earnest heroism meant not being afraid to run toward ideas that might seem childish or unserious.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for childish
Aegis Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Aug. 2025
What originally looked like a one-off childish stunt—one that angered players and delighted some media members—has quickly grown into something much bigger.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 8 Aug. 2025
There resides brooding 16-year-old Billy 5000 (Jack Corbett), who has left his childish interests behind to become preoccupied with making money delivering food via an app called Grubster (the reference to a real-life service couldn’t be more intentional).
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 Aug. 2025
Chasing a music of earnest heroism meant not being afraid to run toward ideas that might seem childish or unserious.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for childish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childish
Adjective
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There was no data on frequency, dose, or method of cannabis consumption, and only immature eggs, which are less ideal for reproduction, were available for lab experiments.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Sep. 2025
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When immature eggs—known as oocytes, which are eggs that have not yet fully developed to the stage where they can be fertilized—were exposed to THC at levels similar to those detected in patients, researchers observed more frequent chromosome errors.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But in recent years, psychologists, sociologists and concerned parents alike have noticed a growing number of young adults who seem caught in this adolescent quicksand — unable or unwilling to take the next step into adulthood.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Advertisement Advertisement Boston Children’s Hospital was home to the first pediatric and adolescent transgender health program in the nation, according to court documents.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As the consequences of permanent records became clear—blocking access to jobs, housing, and education—states began experimenting with mechanisms to seal or expunge certain convictions, usually for first-time or juvenile offenders.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Unlike natural thinning, large fire-resilient trees are typically high-graded for felling in Jackson, creating tinderboxes of 300 to 500 mostly juvenile trees per acre.—
John P. O’Brien,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Childish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childish. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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