childishness

IPA/ˈtʃaɪldɪʃnəs/
IPA/ˈtʃaɪldɪʃnəs/

childishness — noun

1. the silly or immature way an adult sometimes thinks or acts, like a young child

1.nounC1
Definition

the silly or immature way an adult sometimes thinks or acts, like a young child who has not yet learned to handle a situation calmly.

Example

Dylan rolled his eyes at the childishness of the two senators shouting over each other.

childishness of + noun phrase, attributing immature behavior to adults

After the divorce, Maeve was tired of her ex-husband's constant childishness over money.

childishness over + topic, naming what triggers the silly behavior

Common collocations
  • show childishness
  • childishness of someone
  • a streak of childishness
  • act with childishness
Synonyms
  • immaturity

    broader and more formal; refers to general lack of emotional development, not a single silly act.

  • petulance

    more specific — childish sulking or bad temper when things do not go one's way.

  • puerility

    very formal and bookish; suggests pathetically childish behavior in an adult.

Antonyms

Usage Note

Subject is usually an adult or older child whose behavior the speaker disapproves of; using this noun about a young child sounds odd because childlike behavior is expected of them.

Common Mistakes

The baby's childishness made everyone laugh.
The baby's playfulness made everyone laugh.
'childishness' carries a negative tone and is rarely used about actual children.
He showed childishness to solve the puzzle.
He showed childish enthusiasm while solving the puzzle.
the noun describes negative immature behavior, not positive childlike energy.

2. the quality of seeming open, curious, or innocent in a way that reminds people o

2.nounC1
Definition

the quality of seeming open, curious, or innocent in a way that reminds people of a young child, used in a neutral or positive sense.

Example

There was a sweet childishness in the way Sofia greeted every animal at the petting zoo.

childishness in the way + clause, describing an innocent quality

Critics praised the painter for keeping a sense of childishness in her bright, simple landscapes.

a sense of childishness, neutral or positive framing

Common collocations
  • a sweet childishness
  • wide-eyed childishness
  • a sense of childishness
  • charming childishness
Synonyms
  • innocence

    stronger focus on moral or experiential purity rather than a child-like manner.

  • naivety

    more about lack of worldly knowledge, sometimes mildly critical.

  • childlikeness

    rarer; emphasises the positive child-like quality without the negative tone.

Antonyms

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 by context: positive adjectives (sweet, charming, wide-eyed) or comparison to art / innocence signal this sense; complaints about adults signal sense 1.

Common Mistakes

She loved his childishness when he refused to share dessert.
She was annoyed by his childishness when he refused to share dessert.
refusing to share is the negative sense 1, not the charming sense 2.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four nouns describe behavior that falls short of adult emotional control, but the angle and tone differ. Childishness is the everyday choice and focuses on a specific moment of silly, child-like behavior in someone who should know better — sulking, slamming a door, refusing to share. Immaturity is broader and more formal: it judges a person's overall emotional development, not one act. Petulance zooms in on bad-tempered sulking when one does not get one's way, and is often used of small annoyances. Puerility is bookish and harsh — calling an adult's behavior puerile suggests it is pathetically childish, almost laughable. Compare: 'I'm tired of his childishness over the dishes' (everyday complaint) versus 'The senator's puerile remarks shocked the committee' (formal condemnation).

childishness ↗immaturity ↗petulancepuerility

Common collocations

Nouns

  • streak of childishness
  • sense of childishness
  • show of childishness

Phrases

  • a sweet childishness
  • wide-eyed childishness
  • rise above the childishness
  • tired of the childishness

Prepositions

  • childishness of
  • childishness over
  • childishness in

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Middle English by adding the noun-making suffix -ness to the adjective childish, which itself comes from the Old English word for child, cild. The suffix -ness turns adjectives into abstract nouns naming the quality the adjective describes, the same pattern as kindness from kind or sadness from sad. The negative, disapproving tone in modern English mostly attaches to the noun and adjective when they describe adults, while child and its other relatives stayed neutral.