childlike
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See childish.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of childlike
Vocabulary lists containing childlike
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s a fun, childlike interpretation of the complexities of coming from two cultures and religions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
There’s a sense of childlike play in the work, but also an aura of the mythic, bringing to mind animal deities who hide deep in the wilds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
"I think a lot of the times we're told when we're adults that we can't enjoy things with this sense of childlike joy any more," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
In her tiny apartment in South Korea, where she lives alone, 78-year-old Bang Chun-ja spends her days with a childlike AI-powered doll she says she prefers to people.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
He was sitting, propped by several pillows, watching the commotion around him with a kind of abstracted childlike wonder.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.