girlish

adjective

girl·​ish ˈgər-lish How to pronounce girlish (audio)
Synonyms of girlishnext
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a girl or girlhood
girlishly adverb
girlishness noun

Examples of girlish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
With her girlish grin and short blonde hair, Rebecca looked ten years old. — Joni Eareckson Tada, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025 Her girlish pout, tiny waist and generous bust were often more appreciated than her talent. — CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025 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

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of girlish was in 1565

Rhymes for girlish

See All Rhymes for girlish

Browse Nearby Words

girlie
girlish
girl next door
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Girlish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girlish. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on girlish

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for girlish

Nglish: Translation of girlish for Spanish Speakers

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All