childish
adjective
child·ish ˈchī(-ə)l-dish 
1
: of, relating to, or befitting a child or childhood
childish desires for toys
2
a
: marked by or suggestive of immaturity and lack of poise
a childish spiteful remark
b
: lacking complexity : simple
it's a childish device, but it works
c
: deteriorated with age especially in mind : senile
his parents … were both getting childish and needed care
Pearl Buck
Pearl Buck childishly adverb
childishness noun
Synonyms
- adolescent
- babyish
- immature
- infantile
- jejune
- juvenile
- kiddish
- puerile
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She has a childish face. a letter written in childish scrawl He opened the gifts with childish delight. We're tired of their childish games. I find his humor very childish.
Recent Examples on the Web In her clipped but childish tones, the young Elizabeth marvels at the lives being led in these far-flung corners of the world. Tom Mctague, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2022 The 18-year-old accused of the carnage in New York left behind a disjointed and childish manifesto that singles out not only Black people, but mixed-race marriages — and the children of them — as something to be eliminated. Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 Everything was still Disney themed, but nothing was childish. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 9 Aug. 2022 There was an unexpected, almost childish exuberance in Elizabeth’s messages to Sunny. Liz Meriwether, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022 Joshua Wolf Coleman is delightful in his childish complaints about Wharton’s beloved dogs, his demands for Posy’s assistance with the most mundane activities, and his constant need for attention. Terry Byrne, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2022 Closer examination, though, reveals the kind of childish jokes that have made the 49-year-old rapper an easy target for criticism in recent years. Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2022 Jonathan Anderson and the Prada duo leaned into childish innocence, with the first focusing on silliness and play and the latter on boyish proportions. José Criales-unzueta, Vogue, 30 June 2022 Lurking in these memories is my childish realization of something my mother knew as an adult: how thin the divide is that exists between safety and danger. New York Times, 12 May 2022 See More
Tom Mctague, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2022 The 18-year-old accused of the carnage in New York left behind a disjointed and childish manifesto that singles out not only Black people, but mixed-race marriages — and the children of them — as something to be eliminated. Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 Everything was still Disney themed, but nothing was childish. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 9 Aug. 2022 There was an unexpected, almost childish exuberance in Elizabeth’s messages to Sunny. Liz Meriwether, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022 Joshua Wolf Coleman is delightful in his childish complaints about Wharton’s beloved dogs, his demands for Posy’s assistance with the most mundane activities, and his constant need for attention. Terry Byrne, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2022 Closer examination, though, reveals the kind of childish jokes that have made the 49-year-old rapper an easy target for criticism in recent years. Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2022 Jonathan Anderson and the Prada duo leaned into childish innocence, with the first focusing on silliness and play and the latter on boyish proportions. José Criales-unzueta, Vogue, 30 June 2022 Lurking in these memories is my childish realization of something my mother knew as an adult: how thin the divide is that exists between safety and danger. New York Times, 12 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
see child
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
childish
adjective
child·ish ˈchīl-dish
1
: of, like, or thought to be suitable to children
childish laughter
2
: showing the less pleasing qualities (as silliness) often thought to be those of children
a childish prank
childishness
noun
1
as in nonsense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- nonsense
- buffoonery
- foolishness
- clownishness
- silliness
- jesting
- joking
- tomfoolery
- clowning
- boisterousness
- rambunctiousness
- funning
- roughhousing
- horseplay
- clownery
- slapstick
- hijinks
- rowdyism
- rowdiness
- foolery
- skylarking
- high jinks
- mischievousness
- playfulness
- roughhouse
- roguishness
- waggery
- frivolity
- rascality
- monkeying
- impishness
- monkey business
- shenanigan(s)
- trickery
- horsing around
- monkeyshine(s)
- deviltry
- mischief
- knavery
- roguery
- devilry
- sportiveness
- revelry
- prankishness
- rumbustiousness
- merrymaking
- sporting
- frolicking
- roistering
- cavorting
- gamboling
- romping
- gambolling
2
as in naïveté
Synonyms & Similar Words
- naïveté
- inexperience
- sincerity
- frankness
- callowness
- ingenuousness
- naivete
- guilelessness
- naivety
- unpretentiousness
- artlessness
- naïvety
- straightforwardness
- naiveté
- rawness
- insularity
- carelessness
- unworldliness
- naiveness
- candor
- thoughtlessness
- simplemindedness
- ignorance
- parochialism
- unsophistication
- openness
- genuineness
- heedlessness
- provincialism
- unaffectedness
- innocence
- honesty
- naturalness
- obliviousness
- unawareness
- gullibility
- idealism
- greenness
- impressionability
- credulousness
- coltishness
- simplicity
- optimism
- simpleness
- viridity
- credulity
- impracticality
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- cynicism
- sophistication
- worldliness
- artificiality
- dishonesty
- insincerity
- artfulness
- pretentiousness
- deviousness
- incredulity
- disbelief
- suspiciousness
- maturity
- pessimism
- knowingness
- wariness
- skepticism
- carefulness
- caution
- affectedness
- doubtfulness
- street smarts