coltish

adjective

colt·​ish ˈkōl-tish How to pronounce coltish (audio)
1
a
: not subjected to discipline
b
: frisky, playful
coltish antics
2
: of, relating to, or resembling a colt
coltish legs
coltishly adverb
coltishness noun

Examples of coltish in a Sentence

off camera the actor is high-spiritedly coltish, but turns serious once the camera starts rolling
Recent Examples on the Web As played with alert, coltish presence by rising German star Marlene Burow, young Maria is a woman who exists slightly outside her time and place (a bucolic pocket of the former East Germany, in the immediate wake of German reunification), but her own ticking meter is hard to gauge. Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Feb. 2023 Onstage, with a coltish appeal and arms akimbo, Starcrawler singer Arrow De Wilde exudes a punk power akin to a mutant offspring of Debby Harry, Michael Monroe and Iggy Pop. Katherine Turman, SPIN, 21 Sep. 2022 By starring in her own film, Lindon makes her own youth apparent as an artist, as well as the youth of her character, who remains coltish and childlike. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2021 In the role of the young Diana, Corrin is effortlessly perfect, conveying Diana’s memorable physical qualities, including her coltish grace and head-down/eyes-up stance, along with a vivid blend of vulnerability and cunning. oregonlive, 10 Nov. 2020 Ramirez muttered and sighed as the teens, with their baby faces and coltish bodies, bumbled a run-through. Diana Marcum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2019 Such is the case with our guest, the McLaren 600LT Spider ($306,000, as tested), the open-air version of the British speed shop’s coltish club racer. Dan Neil, WSJ, 1 Mar. 2019 Harrison Coll, a corps dancer who made his debut as Romeo on Tuesday, is endearingly impulsive and coltish. Alastair MacAulay, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2018 On a bare-bones stage with the moodiest of lighting, her band little more than silhouettes, Lorde gestured and danced with a coltish awkwardness that contrasted with the maturity in her big, confident yet confiding voice. Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, 28 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coltish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of coltish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near coltish

Cite this Entry

“Coltish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coltish. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

coltish

adjective
colt·​ish ˈkōl-tish How to pronounce coltish (audio)
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