man-child

noun

ˈman-ˌchī(-ə)ld 

plural men-children ˈmen-ˌchil-drən 

-dərn

1

: a male child : son

… it came to her what a glory it would be to be the mother of a man-child like this.

—Jack London

2

: a man who has the qualities of a child : a childlike man

… a largely likable tale about a 38-year-old man-child trying finally to grow up.

—Manohla Dargis

Examples of man-child in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adams is relegated to the sidelines here, playing a small-towner who’s basically in a throuple with a man-child (Segel) devoted to his Muppet brother (voiced by Peter Linz). —Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024

Which brings us to the most galling mystery of the season: How on earth does this preening man-child get engaged? —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2024

Efron’s self-esteem is at rock bottom, and his hard-working assistant Zara (Joey King) has had enough of his mood swings and outlandish man-child requests. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2024

The truth is more complicated, but a stunted man-child searching for Dad’s approval makes Williams relatable. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1