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
To become more childlike, more animal?
—
Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
The Cave of Munits is an easy place to reconnect with your childlike wonder, but please explore with respect and reverence for the place.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Yerin is able to communicate depth, but also breadth — but also humor, but also has this real, playful, childlike spirit.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026
The detailed yet childlike animation helps bring to life a world only one woman can see and instills levity into this deeply moving story.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for childlike
Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
The Cave of Munits is an easy place to reconnect with your childlike wonder, but please explore with respect and reverence for the place.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Yerin is able to communicate depth, but also breadth — but also humor, but also has this real, playful, childlike spirit.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026
The detailed yet childlike animation helps bring to life a world only one woman can see and instills levity into this deeply moving story.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for childlike
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childlike
Adjective
-
Set a century before the events of Game of Thrones and 72 years after House of the Dragon, A Knight of Seven Kingdom follows two unlikely heroes wandering Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), and his diminutive squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
-
That naïve version of myself has since retired.—
Iman Balagam,
Vogue,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Krejci’s expression as referee Tom Kirk brandished the red card looked like one of genuine bewilderment.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
There was genuine excitement among students and founders.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Olive oil is also used to dress simple salads, roasted vegetables, and a host of other dishes.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Others have argued that the game represents a simple life that is becoming harder to obtain.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Easy but exciting paths that felt like true tree lines to them.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Summing up the whole picture is impossible, and attempting to do it requires treading carefully, so as to maintain important boundaries between what is definitely true and what seems likely or merely speculative.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Load levels, temperatures, events, alarm histories, battery status and more are all monitored in real-time, and once any measured parameter strays outside of normal levels, the urgency of an onsite intervention can be quantified and acted upon.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The Los Angeles artist, whose real name was James Dear, died Sunday at a private residence, according to the the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This spontaneous journey took me to Andalucía, the southernmost region of the Iberian Peninsula, with natural beauty that unravels like a cinematic masterpiece.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Whenever and wherever the topic comes up organically or feels natural is best.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This sort of behavior is childish and unsophisticated.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
And Blackstone is not an unsophisticated hotel owner.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Childlike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childlike. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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