girlish

[ gur-lish ]
See synonyms for girlish on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of, like, or befitting a girl or girlhood: girlish laughter.

Origin of girlish

1
First recorded in 1555–65; girl + -ish1

Other words from girlish

  • girl·ish·ly, adverb
  • girl·ish·ness, noun
  • un·girl·ish, adjective
  • un·girl·ish·ly, adverb
  • un·girl·ish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use girlish in a sentence

  • Kawakubo plays with innocence and seduction, womanhood and girlishness, discretion and provocation.

  • She could not refrain from a certain girlishness which, having regard to her years, her waist and her complexion, was ridiculous.

    The Regent | E. Arnold Bennett
  • She had lost the fawn-like girlishness that would take flight; there was no nun-spirit within her now to cry "Help me!"

    What Will People Say? | Rupert Hughes
  • It seemed to deepen the color of her hair and at the same time to give a touch of girlishness to her figure.

    The Silver Poppy | Arthur Stringer
  • Her long hair hung in heavy braids that gave an almost childlike girlishness to her appearance.

    A Pagan of the Hills | Charles Neville Buck
  • He took her in his arms—the form that even age could not rob of its girlishness—and pressed her face to his breast.

    Sons and Fathers | Harry Stillwell Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for girlish

girlish

/ (ˈɡɜːlɪʃ) /


adjective
  1. of or like a girl in looks, behaviour, innocence, etc

Derived forms of girlish

  • girlishly, adverb
  • girlishness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012