callow
immature and lacking adult experience or sophistication
Word origin: From Old English calu, bald or unfledged, as of a young bird without feathers.
Callow in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing callow in a sentence.
The callow recruit blushed at every joke the veterans told.
The callow recruit assumed the mission would be far simpler than his veterans warned.
Using “callow” well
Callow describes youthful immaturity and inexperience. Do not confuse it with callous, a look-alike meaning unfeeling and hardened.
More GRE words starting with C
a small secret group plotting against a government or authority
having a hidden or mysterious meaning understood only by initiates
a harsh, jarring mixture of sounds
to obtain something by begging or sponging off others
falling off or shed at an early stage, especially of plant parts
to coax someone into doing something through flattery or persuasion
an event causing great damage, loss, or distress
misty, dim, or dark, and therefore obscure
Questions about “callow”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.