girlish

adjective

Definition of girlishnext
1
as in feminine

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in boyish

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 girlish Miho Sakoda’s Butterfly (Cio-Cio-San) managed a deft balance of girlish naiveté, true love and bitter betrayal with a soprano of apparently limitless expressivity. — Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 11 Apr. 2026 In the band’s heyday, Anthony Kiedis, with his bare torso and long girlish copper-blond hair, looked like a ’70s teen idol who’d become a Warhol hustler – a street-flesh god like Joe Dallesandro, except that where Dallesandro was in a daze, Kiedis was a live wire. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026 Candiace ditched her glitzy Housewives looks in favor of prim and proper twin sets and girlish headbands that conveyed an image of innocence and charm, a masterful choice for a game in which perception is everything. — Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 19 Feb. 2026 Mulvaney’s penchant for girlish giggles and squeals between bites of her spaghetti pomodoro stand out in Arno, especially when juxtaposed against the sea of older gentlemen in an assortment of ill-fitting grey blazers sitting behind her at the bar. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 18 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for girlish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for girlish
  1. feminine
  2. boyish
  3. womanly
  4. youthful
  5. female
  6. young
  7. girlie
  8. childish
Adjective
  • Through serial repetition, role-play, and the oscillation between masculine and feminine visual codes, Stötzer stages gender as something performed rather than possessed.
    — Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Along with a brief moment of tenderness Sara experiences with her class’s resident dork, this feminine camaraderie makes for a nugget of niceness in a sea of despair.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of feminine
Adjective
  • O’Connell is boyish, enthusiastic, both worried and excited about the opportunity he’s been given.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In just a few years, Burke had transformed from a boyish, homeschooled gamer into a streaming-era idol.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of boyish
Adjective
  • With its elegant, womanly heel curving into a narrow point and its sensible perforated top designed to resemble a man's oxford dress shoe, the oxford pump is the shoe of a woman who stands between two worlds.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 9 June 2026
  • Marant launched her label and had her first show in 1994, quickly becoming a byword for a hip, womanly brand of boho chic.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 26 May 2026
Definition of womanly
Adjective
  • Some of the newer wearable fragrances seem to be aiming to connect us with our more youthful selves.
    — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But Season 2 clocks the fitful maturation process without mirroring as many of its youthful mistakes.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of youthful
Adjective
  • The government’s achievement caps a political transformation that has moved the Italian leader from outsider to establishment figure since becoming Italy’s first female prime minister in 2022.
    — Silvia Stellacci, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The chance to honor her legacy made for a poignant coincidence for an evening devoted to female power, and a reminder that, however much has changed since Steinem first began shaking things up, there is still plenty to do.
    — Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of female
Adjective
  • Upbringing and early career Lily-Rose Depp and her younger brother, Jack, attended school in the United States growing up but also spent significant time in France.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
  • He was tasked with holding the movie’s most complex, morally challenging ideas, as a young boy running from trauma and left to decide between danger and redemption.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of young
Adjective
  • The rhinestone ornamentation doubled as a girly and whimsical photo-op.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The mood the girls give off feels like their bold generation of girly pop, which also gives off this youthful, confident charm.
    — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of girlie
Adjective
  • There is a playful feeling to many PATTARAPHAN pieces, but this is not childish work.
    — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • And also settling a very childish dispute between the airport and the contractors.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of childish

Browse Nearby Words

girlie
girlish
girlishness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Girlish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girlish. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All