See also: child-like

English

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Etymology

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From child +‎ -like.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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childlike (comparative more childlike, superlative most childlike)

  1. Innocent and trustful; credulous; artless.
    Synonyms: credulous, unworldly; see also Thesaurus:naive
  2. Of, like, or suitable for a child.
    Synonyms: childish, childly; see also Thesaurus:childlike
    • 2019 May 8, Jon Bailes, “Save yourself! The video games casting us as helpless children”, in The Guardian[1]:
      Even Mario is given childlike mannerisms – running open-armed like a fearless toddler, whooping with delight – to convey playful innocence.

Quotations

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  • 1859, Henry Barnard, Pestalozzi and Pestalozzianism:
    And on the other hand, fatherly and childlike feelings in the national spirit, are the sources of all pure national blessings.
  • 1894, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Lessings Nathan Der Weise:
    He certainly has childlike simplicity, and all the qualities which go to make up a true Christian character.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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