CHILDISHNESS Synonyms: 122 Similar and Opposite Words

childishness

noun

as in nonsense

Related Words

Relevance

as in inexperience

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of childishness Lonnie is a Ferrell-ian blend of narcissism and good-natured childishness, but of the wishy-washiest type. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for childishness

Noun

But most of this energy price escalation stems from Joe Biden’s anti-fossil-energy, Green New Deal nonsense.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026
The bloc also roped Canada into this nonsense, and recently asked Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to dial the generosity up a notch, according to Politico.

— Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of nonsense

Noun

Both groups are uneasy about Graham’s inexperience and the prospect of turning the seat into a Graham family dynasty.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Miami’s subpar pass protection, inexperience at receiver and troublesome play calling have been contributing factors.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of inexperience

Noun

As the audience applauded, Stewart launched into his joking eulogy.

— Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
Russell was mentioned in that speech, but in a joking way, playing off of how frequent Oscars director Glenn Weiss, who won for his role helming the 2018 Academy Awards telecast, had used his speech to propose to his then-girlfriend.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of joking

Noun

But when the lines between sincerity and cynicism are so blurred, does intention even matter?

— Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026
The first half of the film is on the dull side, featuring lots of footage of Fielder and Holmes staring at each other, unblinking, in an attempt to convince each other of their sincerity.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of sincerity

Noun

Irwin knows how to clown an audience, and in this enjoyable, broadly comic interpretation, the buffoonery is at least as much the point as some pointed critiques of modern-day American health care.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Trump’s quarter millennial—featuring overt buffoonery and historic grifting as neighbors—was characteristic of his two presidencies.

— Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of buffoonery

Noun

Lin is known in town to be incredibly fair, but at times obtuse in his frankness.

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
The novel, published in 1988, foreshadowed the career to come by taking on, with disarming frankness, everything from child abuse to transracial adoption.

— Casey Cep, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of frankness

Noun

Hudson showed some subtle support for the jesting knocks to her boyfriend by reposting a clip of his final joke shared on Fox News' official X page.

— Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
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

Definition of jesting

Noun

Their impressiveness came from their straightforwardness, their precision and generosity of flavor, without needless curlicues or misguided deconstruction.

— Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
What is genuinely remarkable, though, is that this meteoric machine drives with the straightforwardness of a Toyota Camry.

— Sean Evans, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of straightforwardness

Browse Nearby Words

childish

childishness

childlike

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“Childishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childishness. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of childishness

noun

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