childlike

[chahyld-lahyk]

See more synonyms for childlike on Thesaurus.com

adjective

like a child, as in innocence, frankness, etc.; befitting a child: childlike trust.

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Origin of childlike

First recorded in 1580–90; child + -like

Related formschild·like·ness, nounun·child·like, adjective

Can be confusedchildish childlike (see synonym study at childish)

Synonyms

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young, ingenuous, simple, guileless, trusting, innocent.

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Antonyms

sophisticated, adult.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

guileless childish artless credulous immature ingenuous natural simple spontaneous trusting unaffected unfeigned trustful

Examples from the Web for childlike

Contemporary Examples

But then the summit gives way to the other side of the hill, and a childlike glee arises from the whooooosh of the descent.
Biking With the Bard
Kara Cutruzzula
December 28, 2014
Too many people reverted to a childlike state, and they wanted a daddy-protector.
The U.S. Will Torture Again—and We’re All to Blame
Michael Tomasky
December 12, 2014
Their playful exhibitions are often meant to be interactive and instill a childlike sense of joy in the viewer.
New York City’s New Mystery Art Piece
Sara Sayed
September 22, 2014
“Her reporting was childlike but graphic,” says the documents.
Inside the Shocking Custody Case Court Documents that Shed Light on the Dylan Farrow-Woody Allen Saga
Marlow Stern
February 10, 2014
Childlike Elvis Presley was amusing but a complete failure in the feathers.
Rita Moreno, SAG Life Achievement Award Winner, Talks Brando, Elvis And West Side Story
Sandra McElwaine
January 15, 2014

Historical Examples

But, childlike, she was not ready to own her sorrow; and she turned her back, trembling.
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
The first fervors of the romance of discovery were childlike in their eagerness.
The American Mind
Bliss Perry
Indeed, there was yet much that was childlike in their growing love.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
Glory could have cried for joy of it all—it was so simple, so human, so childlike.
The Christian
Hall Caine
Nevertheless, he smiled in a childlike way, and began to talk of the dog.
The Christian
Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for childlike

childlike

adjective

like or befitting a child, as in being innocent, trustful, etcCompare childish (def. 2)

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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for childlike

adj.

1580s, "proper to a child," from child + like. Meaning "like a child" in a good sense (distinguished from childish) is from 1738.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper