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
The exchange ended with both men accusing the other of acting childish.
—
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Compiled from Candace Bushnell’s column of the same name from The New York Observer, the book is a dark and bizarre look at dating in 1990s New York, where men are pathologically childish, cruel, and self-centered, and women are domineering, striving, and manipulative.
—Alice Bolin
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
His comment about Shildt mad dogging him was childish and hilarious.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 21 June 2025
But their tit for tat antics on social media have come across as particularly childish given their immense wealth and responsibilities.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for childish
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Compiled from Candace Bushnell’s column of the same name from The New York Observer, the book is a dark and bizarre look at dating in 1990s New York, where men are pathologically childish, cruel, and self-centered, and women are domineering, striving, and manipulative.
—Alice Bolin
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
His comment about Shildt mad dogging him was childish and hilarious.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 21 June 2025
But their tit for tat antics on social media have come across as particularly childish given their immense wealth and responsibilities.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for childish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childish
Adjective
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The three childlike siblings, who all wear thick black-rimmed Coke-bottled glasses and often speak in cartoonish unison, were previously a cost-saving embarrassment for the Chiefs, but their penchant for brawling and immature antics quickly garner the team popularity as ruthless heels.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
19 Aug. 2025
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Plus, Wendy and the hybrids are all children placed into adult robot bodies, resulting in adult actors acting like immature children, which can get grating.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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His adolescent daughter Louise was standing beneath a big top in a rural French town preparing to enter the center ring.—
April White,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Aug. 2025
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Boys Go to Jupiter captures an adolescent malaise without talking down to its teens — there is no preaching about real jobs, responsibilities, or five-year plans.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The two worked together before entering city government on projects surrounding the juvenile justice system and youth incarceration.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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The arrest of a 13-year-old boy in connection with a series of armed carjackings and robberies across Baltimore has sparked a debate on juvenile crime and the effectiveness of the Department of Juvenile Services.—
Keith Daniels,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Childish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childish. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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