girlish

girlish — adjective

1. having the looks, voice, or way of behaving that people associate with a young g

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

having the looks, voice, or way of behaving that people associate with a young girl rather than an adult woman

Example

After winning the race, Aiko let out a girlish squeal that surprised her teammates.

collocation: girlish squeal

Theo noticed the girlish way his younger brother giggled at the cartoon.

collocation: girlish + giggle

Common collocations
  • girlish voice
  • girlish laughter
  • girlish smile
  • girlish figure
  • girlish enthusiasm
  • girlish excitement
  • girlish innocence
  • girlish charm
  • girlish features
  • girlish appearance
  • girlish habit
  • girlish giggle
  • girlish squeal
Synonyms
  • girly

    informal; often used for adult women choosing feminine styles, whereas girlish suggests natural youthfulness

  • childlike

    broader — can apply to either gender; girlish is specifically female

  • youthful

    neutral regarding gender; girlish adds a feminine dimension

Antonyms
  • womanly

    describes adult female qualities rather than those of a young girl

  • boyish

    describes qualities associated with young males

  • mature

    suggests grown-up seriousness as opposed to childlike qualities

Grammar Patterns

attributive: girlish + noun

predicative: be/look/sound + girlish

Usage Note

Often collocates with nouns describing voice, appearance, or behaviour (voice, laughter, smile, figure, enthusiasm). The connotation can be positive (youthful freshness) or mildly critical (suggesting immaturity), depending on the context and tone.

Common Mistakes

She gave me a girl smile.
She gave me a girlish smile.
Use the adjective 'girlish', not the noun 'girl', to describe someone's appearance or behaviour.

Word family

  • girl
    nounA1
  • girlishly
    adverbC1
  • girlishness
    nounC1
  • girly
    adjectiveB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe qualities associated with females, but they differ in age range and register. Feminine (B1) is the broadest term, covering any traits culturally linked to women, from childhood to old age. Womanly (B2) specifically describes adult female qualities such as physical maturity or maternal warmth. Ladylike (B2) focuses on refined, polite behaviour expected of a well-brought-up woman. Girly (informal, B1) is more casual and often applied to adult women who adopt stereotypically feminine styles by choice. Girlish (B2) stays closest to childhood: a girlish voice sounds young and light; girlish excitement is uninhibited and spontaneous. Compare: 'She had a feminine grace' (adult, neutral) vs 'She had a girlish sweetness' (youthful, childlike).

feminine ↗womanlyladylike ↗girly

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • girlish good looks
  • girlish sense of wonder
  • girlish way of doing something

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

From girl (Old English gyrela, originally meaning a young person of either sex) plus the adjective suffix -ish (Old English -isc, meaning 'having the qualities of'). Over time, girl narrowed to specifically mean a female child, and girlish came to describe the traits associated with that age and gender.