CHILDISHNESS Synonyms: 122 Similar and Opposite Words

childishness

noun

as in nonsense

Related Words

Relevance

as in inexperience

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 childishness Lonnie is a Ferrell-ian blend of narcissism and good-natured childishness, but of the wishy-washiest type. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026 The childishness of his expressions infantilized a genuinely vicious regime, painting it as more peevish than petrifying. — Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026 The actor relishes all aspects of Dahl’s childishness, and the humanity within the beast emerges in small moments. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026 Cove, on West Houston Street, does not mark an especially obvious step into maturity or anything narratively pat like that, because McGarry’s cooking and his businesses have never really had so much as a hint of childishness to begin with. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026 The gesture’s lack of dignity, its childishness, its pettiness, are completely in character. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 25 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for childishness

Noun

Halo 4, 5, and Infinite used sci-fi nonsense to transform him into this larger-than-life figure, rendering the rest of the UNSC largely powerless in the process.

— Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
These accusations are utter nonsense, concocted from distortions, half-truths and lies.

— Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of nonsense

Noun

Miami’s subpar pass protection, inexperience at receiver and troublesome play calling have been contributing factors.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
In a sign of Graham’s potential vulnerability, largely due to her inexperience and a deteriorating political environment for Republicans, SLF announced a $5 million ad buy in the state last week.

— Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of inexperience

Noun

Russell was mentioned in that speech, but in a joking way, playing off of how frequent Oscars director Glenn Weiss, who won for his role helming the 2018 Academy Awards telecast, had used his speech to propose to his then-girlfriend.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of joking

Noun

The show sought to expand norms of representation—a project whose sincerity all but courts the cringeworthy—with artists hell-bent on deconstructing the drive for beauty, including Orlan, Sara Cwynar, Juno Calypso, and Haley Morris-Cafiero.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Still, the sincerity matters, and so does the achievement of realizing something this strange with such conviction.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of sincerity

Noun

Lin is known in town to be incredibly fair, but at times obtuse in his frankness.

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
The novel, published in 1988, foreshadowed the career to come by taking on, with disarming frankness, everything from child abuse to transracial adoption.

— Casey Cep, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of frankness

Noun

Hudson showed some subtle support for the jesting knocks to her boyfriend by reposting a clip of his final joke shared on Fox News' official X page.

— Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
No matter what happened, Dunham could not seem to help posting through it, her public persona one of infinite jesting confession.

— Madeline Leung Coleman, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of jesting

Noun

Their impressiveness came from their straightforwardness, their precision and generosity of flavor, without needless curlicues or misguided deconstruction.

— Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
What is genuinely remarkable, though, is that this meteoric machine drives with the straightforwardness of a Toyota Camry.

— Sean Evans, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of straightforwardness

Browse Nearby Words

childish

childishness

childlike

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Style

“Childishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childishness. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of childishness

noun

Example Sentences

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