as in naive
resembling or suggesting a child; like that of a child
a childlike honesty He had a childlike innocence that others found endearing.
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Recent Examples of childlike
In this extraordinary moment, we're reminded that wisdom often comes in the smallest whispers, and true courage lies in following where we're led with childlike trust.
—
New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026
Bizarrely childlike, full of wonder.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Of course, animals are always a safe choice—think portraits of animals dressed as humans, forest scenes with storybook details, or simply a charming scene that evokes nostalgia and childlike wonder.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026
MacTaggart is part of a throng of young people who are turning to analog hobbies and activities as a means of escaping technology and reconnecting with childlike creativity and exploration.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for childlike
New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026
Bizarrely childlike, full of wonder.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Of course, animals are always a safe choice—think portraits of animals dressed as humans, forest scenes with storybook details, or simply a charming scene that evokes nostalgia and childlike wonder.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026
MacTaggart is part of a throng of young people who are turning to analog hobbies and activities as a means of escaping technology and reconnecting with childlike creativity and exploration.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for childlike
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childlike
Adjective
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What became their sound, more so than instrumentation, was this naive form of optimism.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Any certainty—my certainty—about most guys being good guys seems naive.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
If that feeds through into hotter Consumer Price Index prints, the Fed's path to cutting gets narrower, and a hike becomes a genuine possibility rather than a fringe scenario.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Brown, who serves as executive chair of the BetterUp Center for Daring Leadership, says trust is earned in small, consistent moments when leaders show genuine interest in their employees’ lives.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Both include full integration of the climate controls into the screen, requiring more concentration to use and additional steps to make adjustments previously accomplished by pressing a simple button.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Scientists at Florida International University are developing a drug compound known as CTS2444-32, designed to reach deep brain regions affected by Parkinson's through a simple nasal delivery system.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest are also set to reprise their roles as the eclectic aunts who raised the Owens sisters, always encouraging them to embrace their true magical selves.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
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Aid groups say the true toll could be much higher as access to areas of fighting across the vast country remains limited.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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While temperatures have largely been above average since the beginning of March, there haven't been many real warm days.—
Terry Eliasen,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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The central premise of the show has a group who isolated themselves in upstate New York with no access to media trying to determine which of the news headlines cited by Gutfeld are real.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
About two hours’ drive from Dubai, places of great natural beauty such as Khor Fakkan and Hatta offer diving and hiking for those escaping the city.—
Mina Al-Oraibi,
Time,
14 Apr. 2026
-
To compose a linguistically hybrid text is natural and necessary for some writers, but then, when time comes to publish the work, again, fixed notions of language and the boundaries between them force us to make a choice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Knowing that Rocky’s voice would come from Grace’s unsophisticated computer setup, Ortiz gathered inspirations, at times subconsciously, from a variety of robotic sources.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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Rock and pop are often unsophisticated, or downright dumb.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Childlike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childlike. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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