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# childish

«childish» in Mova's school dictionary: **Childish describes an older person or their behaviour…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (childish, more childish, most childish)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Childish describes an older person or their behaviour when it is silly or immature, like a small child's — usually as a criticism. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/#m1)

2) Childish means belonging to or like a child: «childish handwriting». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In stories and arguments «Don't be childish!» tells someone to act their age. In everyday talk it criticises sulking, name-calling or tantrums. In descriptions it can just mean like a young child, without blame. Compare «childlike», which is positive.

### examples

- Stop being so childish and say sorry. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/#x1)
- It was childish to hide his pencil case. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/#x2)
- The note was written in childish handwriting. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/#x3)
- Dad's jokes are a bit childish, but we laugh. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/#x4)
- Calling names is childish. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/#x5)
- She thought the cartoon was too childish for her. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/#x6)
- His games, too, were quite different; they were not so childish. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/#x7)

### note

Usually negative. «Childlike» is positive (innocent and full of wonder). Do not say a child is childish for acting their age.

### In the corpora

- ["Toot" is a childish, joking word for a fart.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/7-wind-sick-and-runs/6/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «childish» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/childish/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.