That girl looks boyish.
Source: tatoeba (46635)
Boyish
/ˈbɔɪ.ɪʃ/
Synonyms for "boyish" (75 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: adolescent, airy, attenuate, attenuated, beardless.
- Sentence evidence is available for boyish, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, wordnet, derived_reverse.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "boyish".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "boyish"
Keep "boyish" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "boyish" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "boyish", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "boyish" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
1 entriesdescriptive adjective
More specific
6 entriesCollocations
6 entriesboyish appearanceboyish charmboyish featuresboyish grinboyish lookboyish manner
Inflections
2 entriesmore boyishmost boyish
Derivations
2 entriessimilar
2 entriesTranslations
27 translations across 25 languages.
Central Kurdish
1 entries- کوڕانە adj (like a boy)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 少年的 adj (like a boy)
Danish
1 entries- drenget adj (like a boy)
Dutch
1 entries- jongensachtig adj (like a boy)
Esperanto
1 entries- knaba adj (like a boy)
Faroese
1 entries- dreingjaligur adj (like a boy)
Finnish
1 entries- poikamainen adj (like a boy)
French
1 entries- de garçon adj (like a boy)
German
2 entries- jungenhaft adj (like a boy)
- knabenhaft adj (like a boy)
Greek
1 entries- αγορίστικος adj (like a boy)
Hungarian
1 entries- fiús adj (like a boy)
Icelandic
1 entries- strákslegur adj (like a boy)
Ido
1 entries- pueratra adj (like a boy)
Japanese
1 entries- 少年らしい adj (like a boy)
Latin
1 entries- puerārius adj (like a boy)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- gutteaktig adj (like a boy)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- gutaktig adj (like a boy)
Polish
1 entries- chłopięcy adj (like a boy)
Portuguese
2 entries- infantil adj (like a boy)
- pueril adj (like a boy)
Russian
1 entries- мальчи́шеский adj (like a boy)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- balachail adj (like a boy)
Spanish
1 entries- muchachil adj (like a boy)
Swedish
1 entries- pojkaktig adj (like a boy)
Turkish
1 entries- oğlansı adj (like a boy)
Welsh
1 entries- mabol adj (like a boy)
Sample sentences
12 total sentences available.
This girl looks boyish.
Source: tatoeba (4181234)
I saw his dark face lit up with a boyish enthusiasm as he gazed about him.
Source: tatoeba (6606735)
"Take thou his likeness, only for a night, / and wear the boyish features that are thine; / and when the queen, in rapture of delight, / amid the royal banquet and the wine, / shall lock thee in her arms, and press her lips to thine, / then steal into her bosom, and inspire / through all her veins with unsuspected sleight / the poisoned sting of passion and desire."
Source: tatoeba (6798738)
Showing 4 of 12 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "boyish"?
Closest matches include adolescent, airy, attenuate, attenuated, beardless.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "boyish"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.