childlike
adj/ˈt͡ʃaɪldlaɪk/
Etymology From child + -like.
1
Innocent and trustful; credulous; artless.
- According to the prevailing Danish rationale, Greenlanders were naïve and childlike, in need of protection and incapable of governing themselves.2019 August 22, Matthew H. Birkhold, “A Brief History of the Indignities Heaped Upon Greenland”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Jul 2020:
2
Of, like, or suitable for a child.
- Even Mario is given childlike mannerisms – running open-armed like a fearless toddler, whooping with delight – to convey playful innocence.2019 May 8, Jon Bailes, “Save yourself! The video games casting us as helpless children”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 09 Apr 2023:
- Antonyms
- adultlike, grown up, unchildlike, nonchildlike
- Derived terms
- childlikeness, nonchildlike, unchildlike
- Hypernyms
- anthropic