Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Characteristic of or befitting a boy.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Belonging to a boy; pertaining to boyhood; in a disparaging sense, childish, trifling, puerile: as, “a boyish odd conceit,”
- Synonyms
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Resembling a boy in a manners or opinions; belonging to a boy; childish; trifling; puerile.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Like a
boy .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective befitting or characteristic of a young boy
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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_not_ chew gum, but she whistled, and the teachers who reproved her most for what they called a boyish trick, always listened intently, when the clear, musical notes, now soft and low, now loud and shrill, were heard outside, or in the building.
Tracy Park Mary Jane Holmes 1866
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Snyder, by contrast, beams at us with a certain boyish glee.
The 'Riffs Interview: 'American Vampire's' SCOTT SNYDER on vampires, Vertigo & collaborator Stephen King Michael Cavna 2010
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It was a record David would acknowledge in boyish, self-effacing fashion; sometimes proffering a calling card that identified him as a former chief storekeeper and a retired SEAL with the nickname
David David 2010
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I'm with Jane -- we can only hope that some little white power girl reads _The Bungalow Mystery_ and sees herself in boyish cousin George!
Reading for Young Sheep Roger Sutton 2006
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Into his strong young fingers Ulka took a smooth, flat stone; his handsome eyes were lowered in boyish modesty, his thoughts were worshipping her.
Legends of Vancouver 1911
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He had always excelled in boyish sports, and as he grew to manhood, his unusual breadth of shoulder still seemed to indicate a physical vigor which the slender wrists, thin, transparent hands, and habitually lax attitude, but too plainly contradicted.
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So you must try to be contented with making your name boyish, and playing brother to us girls, "said Beth, stroking the rough head with a hand that all the dish washing and dusting in the world could not make ungentle in its touch.
Little Women 1921
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His friends found his clarity a priceless exchange, and his warmth, expressed in a smile you could call boyish, completely trustworthy.
Archive 2009-02-01 EAGEAGEAG 2009
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His friends found his clarity a priceless exchange, and his warmth, expressed in a smile you could call boyish, completely trustworthy.
Fairfield Porter: The Painter as Critic EAGEAGEAG 2009
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I asked a Dutch woman I work with if she knew of her, and she responded, “Oh yes, I recall a boyish looking girl who danced a lot and sang catchy tunes in French…” Boyish?
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