childlike

adjective

child·​like ˈchī(-ə)l(d)-ˌlīk 

: resembling, suggesting, or appropriate to a child or childhood

especially : marked by innocence, trust, and ingenuousness

childlike delight

childlikeness noun

Examples of childlike in a Sentence

a grown woman with a childlike face

We gazed at it in childlike wonder.

She took a childlike glee in describing every detail.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trending Viewed together, these works carry a distinctly childlike sense of play, accompanied by a kind of urgent primacy. —Keegan Brady, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2023

The #nofilter Moussa can be disarmingly childlike and offensively straightforward, and Bouajila plays him like a zombie who’s been injected with too much truth serum. —Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2022

The cut is childlike, but the colors are neutral and elegant. —Mattie Kahn, Town & Country, 14 Jan. 2023

Examination of individual bones confirmed that the nose, cheeks, and jaw were all childlike. —Richard Granger, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

childlike

adjective

child·​like ˈchīl(d)-ˌlīk 

1

: resembling, suggesting, or suitable to a child or childhood

2

: showing the more pleasing qualities (as innocence or trustfulness) often thought to be those of children

childlike delight