as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing
off camera the actor is high-spiritedly coltish, but turns serious once the camera starts rolling
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Recent Examples of coltish
As played with alert, coltish presence by rising German star Marlene Burow, young Maria is a woman who exists slightly outside her time and place (a bucolic pocket of the former East Germany, in the immediate wake of German reunification), but her own ticking meter is hard to gauge.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Feb. 2023
Onstage, with a coltish appeal and arms akimbo, Starcrawler singer Arrow De Wilde exudes a punk power akin to a mutant offspring of Debby Harry, Michael Monroe and Iggy Pop.
—Katherine Turman, SPIN, 21 Sep. 2022
By starring in her own film, Lindon makes her own youth apparent as an artist, as well as the youth of her character, who remains coltish and childlike.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2021
In the role of the young Diana, Corrin is effortlessly perfect, conveying Diana’s memorable physical qualities, including her coltish grace and head-down/eyes-up stance, along with a vivid blend of vulnerability and cunning.
—oregonlive, 10 Nov. 2020
Such is the case with our guest, the McLaren 600LT Spider ($306,000, as tested), the open-air version of the British speed shop’s coltish club racer.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 1 Mar. 2019
On a bare-bones stage with the moodiest of lighting, her band little more than silhouettes, Lorde gestured and danced with a coltish awkwardness that contrasted with the maturity in her big, confident yet confiding voice.
—Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, 28 Mar. 2018
Harrison Coll, a corps dancer who made his debut as Romeo on Tuesday, is endearingly impulsive and coltish.
—Alastair MacAulay, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2018
Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Feb. 2023
Onstage, with a coltish appeal and arms akimbo, Starcrawler singer Arrow De Wilde exudes a punk power akin to a mutant offspring of Debby Harry, Michael Monroe and Iggy Pop.
—Katherine Turman, SPIN, 21 Sep. 2022
By starring in her own film, Lindon makes her own youth apparent as an artist, as well as the youth of her character, who remains coltish and childlike.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2021
In the role of the young Diana, Corrin is effortlessly perfect, conveying Diana’s memorable physical qualities, including her coltish grace and head-down/eyes-up stance, along with a vivid blend of vulnerability and cunning.
—oregonlive, 10 Nov. 2020
Such is the case with our guest, the McLaren 600LT Spider ($306,000, as tested), the open-air version of the British speed shop’s coltish club racer.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 1 Mar. 2019
On a bare-bones stage with the moodiest of lighting, her band little more than silhouettes, Lorde gestured and danced with a coltish awkwardness that contrasted with the maturity in her big, confident yet confiding voice.
—Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, 28 Mar. 2018
Harrison Coll, a corps dancer who made his debut as Romeo on Tuesday, is endearingly impulsive and coltish.
—Alastair MacAulay, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coltish
playful
Adjective
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From what was seen on the fall 2025 runways of Ferragamo to Tom Ford, the opulent, sexy, polished dressing of the ’80s will live large this season—Sabrina is just taking it up a notch with her own super feminine, playful fashion formula.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
15 Oct. 2025
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The collection debuts in time with the release of the iPhone 17, creating new ways to protect screens and embrace playful, stylish accessories that are practical and resilient.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coltish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coltish. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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