as in masculine
having qualities or traits that are traditionally considered inappropriate for a girl or woman
a designer whose eclectic spring line paired hoydenish work boots with frilly skirts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoydenish
Adjective
-
America has its own mythologies of masculine desire, and many of them are worse.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026 -
Street Grandma opens in the Arts District Playful, feminine, masculine, oversize shirts and pants.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
That would have been unladylike.—
Lucy Worsley
September 16,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The new girl’s unladylike bravado ensures that she will be asked to board with the Brown girl.—
Chris Bohjalian,
Washington Post,
17 Aug. 2023
Adjective
-
Women fighting for the right to vote were seen by their detractors as unfeminine, and vinegar valentines were a cheap and convenient medium to enforce gender roles.—
Melissa Chan,
Fortune,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Dior’s collection referenced the H-line created by its founder Christian Dior for Fall-Winter 1954-1955 – a controversial silhouette at the time as its flattened shape appeared, for some, unfeminine.—
Alice Pfeiffer,
CNN,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Another male passenger, who traveled aboard the ship before the outbreak and flew home to Switzerland, is hospitalized in Zurich.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
Visitors to the Fort Worth Zoo’s Elephant Springs exhibit can now see the newest member of the herd — a male Asian elephant calf born April 1.—
Harriet Ramos
May 7,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hoydenish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoydenish. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
