girlhood

noun

Definition of girlhoodnext
1
as in boyhood

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2
as in maidenhood

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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
  • White’s lyrics are bittersweet pinpricks, his keening vocals already in mourning of childhood’s end—of responsibility, of bathing yourself, in so many words, knowledge of death.
    — Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Owners Benjamin Sormonte, from the south of France, and Elisa Marshall, from Toronto, started the cafe as a nod to their mothers and early childhood experiences in the kitchen.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of childhood
Noun
  • Knight had developed a private love of music as a child, only to be thrust into the spotlight in adolescence thanks in part to his dad’s connections.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This year’s Teens & Screens study surveyed more than 1,500 adolescents (ages 10-24, reflecting the ages of adolescence as defined by the National Academy of Sciences).
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of adolescence

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Cite this Entry

“Girlhood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girlhood. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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