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

• childlikeness
  noun
• unchildlike
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of childlike

First recorded in 1580–90; child + -like

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

childlike

Dementia can make patients angry, or placid, or childlike, or even seem to time travel in their minds to where they believe they are children again.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

"The handwriting is nothing like her handwriting in the original letter, which is almost a childlike scrawl. The second one is an elegant, joined-up cursive."

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

It’s a fun, childlike interpretation of the complexities of coming from two cultures and religions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Reviewing the earlier iteration, our critic said the show paints “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 ● Sep. 6, 2026

It was beautiful and pleasant to go through the world like that, so childlike, so awakened, so concerned with the immediate, without any distrust.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

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Related Words

• childish
• guileless

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