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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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

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

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Cite this Entry

“Coltish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coltish. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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