girlhood

noun

Definition of girlhoodnext
1
as in boyhood

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in maidenhood

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 girlhood There’s something quietly captivating and a little uncomfortable about the pavement snaps of girlhood; some teens accompanied by mothers, others affecting nonchalance, or standing on their hands to get attention. — Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026 This has been much lamented by those who came to the brand through its commitment to fully realizing American girlhood through history. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 The latest DreamWorks animation feature is an unmissable celebration of Filipino culture and the power of friendships in girlhood. — Parents, 25 Sep. 2026 This fall, New York museums are mounting an intriguing mix of shows that speak to notions of girlhood, nostalgia, and feminine self-expression across time, cultures, and creative disciplines. — Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2026 Now Carrie enters public school for the very first time, and with the reemergence of formidable telekinetic abilities, her blissful naivety of girlhood and her wide-open heart make her easy prey for physical and online bullies. — Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026 Growing up, pop culture’s representations of girlhood included a blonde Wakefield twin from Sweet Valley High, a post-makeover Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club, and a big-breasted bombshell manufactured by some dorks with a Commodore 64. — Lisa Whittington-Hill, Longreads, 27 Aug. 2026 Chester Dale, whose bequest forms the core of the NGA’s Cassatt holdings, favored the range of her female subjects, from girlhood and adolescence to adulthood and old age. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 Now, she's been immortalized with a Barbie doll and the pink energy of girlhood is headed for State Farm Arena. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for girlhood
  1. boyhood
  2. maidenhood
  3. childhood
  4. adolescence
Noun
  • Greenwood has been in exile since January 2022, when he was first suspended by his boyhood club Manchester United.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Hastert’s journey to Congress from his boyhood farm appeared to be the result of fate and luck.
    — Michael Tarm, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of boyhood
Noun
  • Even so, the belief in Mary’s life-long maidenhood is widely shared by members of the Eastern Orthodox Church and by some Lutherans.
    — Rebecca Coffey, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021
Definition of maidenhood
Noun
  • Another on-ramp to the fragile pathway is a childhood of abuse, neglect, or other recurring traumatic experiences.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • But the rest of the world is not just where the needs are greatest—from acute childhood malnutrition to violence against women—but where the gains from philanthropy can be greatest.
    — David Miliband, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of childhood
Noun
  • According to earlier studies, babies who respond more negatively to these tasks have higher levels of depression and anxiety in adolescence.
    — Catherine Demers, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The films form a trio of emotional studies of adolescence shaped by grief.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of adolescence

Browse Nearby Words

girlfriends
girlhood
girlhoods
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Girlhood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girlhood. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All