Meaning of Coltishness | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The quality of resembling a colt, especially:
   uncountable
2. The quality of being lively, playful and undisciplined.
   uncountable
3. The quality of being tall, thin and awkward (usually of a young person).
   uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“The grand thing is to get⟳ rid⟳ of dogged sulks and coltishness—of that wayward, swerving, hesitating gait, which says, “Here’s my foot, and there’s my foot,” or “There is a lion in the street, I cannot go forth!””

““He hasn’t learned the art of taking it gracefully,” said the Major. “But he shouldn’t show⟳ temper. It’s a sign⟳ of coltishness that I don’t care for.” “Ah, well, he’s young,” said Daisy, with a sigh⟳. “He’ll get⟳ over that.””

“But the day of halcyon October sun was too serene even for his coltishness and sedately they tramped up the hill, swinging their joined hands;”

“The younger literary generation has come⟳ on the run⟳ because it’s cold out there. The sobriety, and lack of coltishness, constitute their qualifications for reporting fashions or sports; or teaching “Creative Writing” on another campus. They bespeak a readiness to be cowed in return⟳ for a stall in the Establishment barn; at whatever cost⟳ in originality.”

“Though only a year younger than Reuben, in the midst of the awkward age, his growing limbs quite lacked the coltishness of his brother’s.”

“1952, Agatha Christie (as Mary Westmacott), A Daughter’s a Daughter, New York: Dell, 1976, Book 2, Chapter 1, p. 111, Laura Whitstable was struck by her beauty. The awkward touch⟳ of coltishness had gone, she was now a remarkably attractive young woman, with a quite unusual loveliness of face⟳ and form⟳.”

“The hair was young, but the style was mature, and there was no hint of immaturity in the body. Claire, though small, was in perfect proportion without a trace of either coltishness or puppy-fat.”

CEFR level