childlike

American  

[chahyld-lahyk] / ˈtʃaɪldˌlaɪk /

adjective

1. like a child, as in innocence, frankness, etc.; befitting a child.

   childlike trust.

   Synonyms:

   innocent, trusting, guileless, simple, ingenuous, young

   Antonyms:

   adult, sophisticated

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childlike British  

/ ˈtʃaɪldˌlaɪk /

adjective

1. like or befitting a child, as in being innocent, trustful, etc Compare childish

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Synonym Usage

See childish.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unchildlike
  adjective
• childlikeness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of childlike

First recorded in 1580–90; child + -like

Example Sentences

Feeling is more powerful than fact here, and Travolta leans hard into the dreamy, futuristic visual identity of the jet set age to evoke a childlike sense of awe in the viewer.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

Subjects tackled in the art will include deceased celebrities, discontinued chocolate bars, extinct animals and destroyed buildings, presented in "Lycett's usual tongue-in-cheek and childlike style."

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

“A Good Day’s Work” sets out to recast Moses as more complicated than the cheerful, childlike images her name conjures and as a legitimizer of self-taught art.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

And while their mission demands extreme precision, there is still room for childlike levity.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Bigger’s voice came quiet, childlike in its tone of hungry wonder.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• childish
• guileless