1
as in nonsense
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2
as in inexperience
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of childishness
The childishness of his expressions infantilized a genuinely vicious regime, painting it as more peevish than petrifying.
—
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
The actor relishes all aspects of Dahl’s childishness, and the humanity within the beast emerges in small moments.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
Cove, on West Houston Street, does not mark an especially obvious step into maturity or anything narratively pat like that, because McGarry’s cooking and his businesses have never really had so much as a hint of childishness to begin with.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
The gesture’s lack of dignity, its childishness, its pettiness, are completely in character.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 25 Sep. 2025
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
The actor relishes all aspects of Dahl’s childishness, and the humanity within the beast emerges in small moments.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
Cove, on West Houston Street, does not mark an especially obvious step into maturity or anything narratively pat like that, because McGarry’s cooking and his businesses have never really had so much as a hint of childishness to begin with.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
The gesture’s lack of dignity, its childishness, its pettiness, are completely in character.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childishness
Noun
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And Bianco’s rhetoric about forcing changes in state law enforcement — especially on immigration — without the cooperation of Democratic supermajorities in the Legislature is authoritarian nonsense.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
There’s still all this nonsense about the temptation of the female body, and the need for nuns to shield themselves from prying eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Noun
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That could have been part of the Sabres’ relative inexperience in the playoffs, too.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
5 May 2026
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Inspector Paul Algie of Queensland Police said that speed was the most likely cause of the crash but added that the driver's inexperience was also likely a factor, according to the Australian Associated Press.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Noun
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The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Love on the Spectrum — gentle, warm, built on sincerity rather than spectacle — represents an evolution within the genre.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
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But what is most immediately striking about the film is its straightforward sincerity.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
6 May 2026
Noun
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The show, with its interest in corporate buffoonery, doesn’t quite manage to hand-wave away the queasy implications.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Receivers have cratered seasons with me-over-we buffoonery.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Just as the story mines humor from the collision of old-fashioned ways with a modern frankness, Paul’s score combines the appeal of jaunty golden-age sounds with a freshness that feels present day.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Her love for the city is palpable, imbued with her frankness, her fun, her queerness, and her history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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No matter what happened, Dunham could not seem to help posting through it, her public persona one of infinite jesting confession.—
Madeline Leung Coleman,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
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Any amount of singing or jesting will be heard by all.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Mary Gaitskill is particularly good at this ideal combination of straightforwardness and pithiness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Her question, in Lipe-Smith’s inquisitive piccolo of a voice, is heartbreaking in its blend of straightforwardness and desperate desire, as is her mother’s wavering response.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Childishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childishness. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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