Childlike
adjective
Like a child in action or behavior, especially in a way considered charming, innocent or pure.
His childlike enthusiasm was infectious.
Often appears as...
- childlike innocence
- childlike wonder
Usage tips
Approving
adjective
Like a child in action or behavior, especially in a way considered charming, innocent or pure.
His childlike enthusiasm was infectious.
Often appears as...
- childlike innocence
- childlike wonder
Usage tips
Approving
Definition 1 of 1
Pro Tip 1/3Positive Emotion
Describes behaviors that evoke happiness and positivity, often seen as endearing.
Her childlike excitement for the little things made everyone smile.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Immature
'Childlike' is not the same as 'childish'; it implies a positive quality, not immaturity.
Despite his age, his childlike wonder about the world remained.
Pro Tip 3/3Non-Patronizing
Use 'childlike' without suggesting incompetence or foolishness - it's a term of endearment.
She has a childlike trust in people, which makes her very approachable.
Pro Tip 1/3Positive Emotion
Describes behaviors that evoke happiness and positivity, often seen as endearing.
Her childlike excitement for the little things made everyone smile.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Immature
'Childlike' is not the same as 'childish'; it implies a positive quality, not immaturity.
Despite his age, his childlike wonder about the world remained.
Pro Tip 3/3Non-Patronizing
Use 'childlike' without suggesting incompetence or foolishness - it's a term of endearment.
She has a childlike trust in people, which makes her very approachable.
Pro Tip 1/3Positive Emotion
Describes behaviors that evoke happiness and positivity, often seen as endearing.
Her childlike excitement for the little things made everyone smile.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Immature
'Childlike' is not the same as 'childish'; it implies a positive quality, not immaturity.
Despite his age, his childlike wonder about the world remained.
Pro Tip 3/3Non-Patronizing
Use 'childlike' without suggesting incompetence or foolishness - it's a term of endearment.
She has a childlike trust in people, which makes her very approachable.
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Video examples
Penelope Boston: Life on...
like so many other of my peers. It really caught hold of us, and caught fire, and it would be lovely if we could reproduce that again now. Of course, refusing to grow up -- -- even though I impersonate a grown-up in daily life, but I do a fairly good job of that -- but really retaining that childlike quality of not caring what other people think
Video examples
The Trick to Regaining...
They haven't been told what it's supposed to do or what it's supposed to be used for. Therefore, they have all these other possibilities. So for you and I, as we approach life and try to solve new problems, if we're able to remove our assumptions for a moment, we can see with this new childlike wonder once again.
Video examples
Nicholas Negroponte: One...
in retrospect, it actually served a very important purpose. That pencil-yellow crank was remembered by everybody. Everybody remembered the pencil-yellow crank. It's different. It was getting its power in a different way. It's kind of childlike.
Video examples
"Once There Was III" --...
And I just remember being completely awestruck and put in the state of pure, childlike wonderment by their beauty and darkness. And it's my greatest desire to recreate that experience and share it with the world. Well, you sure did that.
Video examples
A message of peace, hope...
so therefore I stand then I started singing some of these songs again and the reason for that was because they have this kind of innocent very simple kind of like childlike thick outline and colorization primary color it all the
Video examples
Steven Sharp Nelson: How...
Isn't she beautiful? And then there's this guy. Yeah. I'm afraid that's me. Now, don't let that childlike grin and superstylish Beatles haircut fool I was trouble. But as you could see, I was happy when I was with my mom.
Video examples
The lies we tell...
Babies. Puppies. Kittens. The elderly. Right? When we label an adult as cute, though, we take away a lot of their intelligence, their complexity. We reduce them to childlike qualities.
Video examples
A civil response to...
The passion with which we've been singing the national anthem since we were kids. When we thought Masiosare was the strange enemy, and we sang, with a childlike heart,
Video examples
The Amreeka Interviews -...
a sort of a sweetness a kindness about her and and almost like a childlike wonder I don't really know how else to put it other than there was something
Video examples
My story of love and...
And as you listen to our narratives with empathy, you will hear other things as childlike curiosity, grace, resilience, courage, love
Video examples
Penelope Boston: Life on...
like so many other of my peers. It really caught hold of us, and caught fire, and it would be lovely if we could reproduce that again now. Of course, refusing to grow up -- -- even though I impersonate a grown-up in daily life, but I do a fairly good job of that -- but really retaining that childlike quality of not caring what other people think
Video examples
The Trick to Regaining...
They haven't been told what it's supposed to do or what it's supposed to be used for. Therefore, they have all these other possibilities. So for you and I, as we approach life and try to solve new problems, if we're able to remove our assumptions for a moment, we can see with this new childlike wonder once again.
Video examples
Nicholas Negroponte: One...
in retrospect, it actually served a very important purpose. That pencil-yellow crank was remembered by everybody. Everybody remembered the pencil-yellow crank. It's different. It was getting its power in a different way. It's kind of childlike.
Video examples
"Once There Was III" --...
And I just remember being completely awestruck and put in the state of pure, childlike wonderment by their beauty and darkness. And it's my greatest desire to recreate that experience and share it with the world. Well, you sure did that.
Video examples
A message of peace, hope...
so therefore I stand then I started singing some of these songs again and the reason for that was because they have this kind of innocent very simple kind of like childlike thick outline and colorization primary color it all the
Video examples
Steven Sharp Nelson: How...
Isn't she beautiful? And then there's this guy. Yeah. I'm afraid that's me. Now, don't let that childlike grin and superstylish Beatles haircut fool I was trouble. But as you could see, I was happy when I was with my mom.
Video examples
The lies we tell...
Babies. Puppies. Kittens. The elderly. Right? When we label an adult as cute, though, we take away a lot of their intelligence, their complexity. We reduce them to childlike qualities.
Video examples
A civil response to...
The passion with which we've been singing the national anthem since we were kids. When we thought Masiosare was the strange enemy, and we sang, with a childlike heart,
Video examples
The Amreeka Interviews -...
a sort of a sweetness a kindness about her and and almost like a childlike wonder I don't really know how else to put it other than there was something
Video examples
My story of love and...
And as you listen to our narratives with empathy, you will hear other things as childlike curiosity, grace, resilience, courage, love
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Wayne Dyer
American Psychologist
To be more childlike, you don't have to give up being an adult. The fully integrated person is capable of being both an adult and a child simultaneously. Recapture the childlike feelings of wide-eyed excitement, spontaneous appreciation, cutting loose, and being full of awe and wonder at this magnificent universe.
Quote examples
Graeme Base
English Artist
I hope that there's a difference between being childish and childlike and that I'm the latter, if you take my meaning. I often sort of wonder. I don't think I'm a terribly good grown-up; I don't take responsibility easily or well in many areas of life. Finance and stuff like that, I'm absolutely appalling.
Quote examples
Drew Barrymore
American Actress
I guess I do have a childlike sense of fun, and although I still have my dark days, I'm generally an optimistic person. The way things have gone in my life, sure, I could have been a bitter person. But I just find bitter people really un-fun, you know? And who wants to be that person?
Quote examples
Jacob Collier
English Musician
Djesse,' essentially, is this spirit. It's this sort of character, very much with some childlike energy, which permeates all of this music... The first album represents kind of pre-dawn, to that moment at the end of the morning when everything's very much alive.
Quote examples
Kurt Sutter
American Director
I navigate through the world with the excitement and determination of a child. That's why I'm an artist. I'd die without an outlet for expression. Unfortunately, more often than not, that childlike energy is the maturity level I bring to many circumstances.
Quote examples
Michael Leunig
Australian Cartoonist
What a magical thing is the bed, and what a vulnerable, innocent creature is the sleeping human - the human who never looks more truthful or pitiful or benign; the curled-up, childlike dreaming soul who has for a few hours become an angel adrift.
Quote examples
Grace Jones
Model
I like conflicts. I love competition. I like discovering things for myself. It's a childlike characteristic, actually. But that gives you a certain amount of power, and people are intimidated by that.
Quote examples
Nick Robinson
British Journalist
Fifteen is such a weird age to be. Nobody treats you like an adult, but you desperately want to be one. You still have these childlike aspects, but you're just kind of coming into the world.
Quote examples
Timothy Olyphant
American Actor
It's very rare that you can be in a career for as long as I have and still feel like you're constantly learning and coming at it from an almost childlike perspective.
Quote examples
Tim Vine
British Comedian
As you get older you're told to be sensible, but it's important for writing if you're a comic that you're able to still access that childlike thing.
Quote examples
Wayne Dyer
American Psychologist
To be more childlike, you don't have to give up being an adult. The fully integrated person is capable of being both an adult and a child simultaneously. Recapture the childlike feelings of wide-eyed excitement, spontaneous appreciation, cutting loose, and being full of awe and wonder at this magnificent universe.
Quote examples
Graeme Base
English Artist
I hope that there's a difference between being childish and childlike and that I'm the latter, if you take my meaning. I often sort of wonder. I don't think I'm a terribly good grown-up; I don't take responsibility easily or well in many areas of life. Finance and stuff like that, I'm absolutely appalling.
Quote examples
Drew Barrymore
American Actress
I guess I do have a childlike sense of fun, and although I still have my dark days, I'm generally an optimistic person. The way things have gone in my life, sure, I could have been a bitter person. But I just find bitter people really un-fun, you know? And who wants to be that person?
Quote examples
Jacob Collier
English Musician
Djesse,' essentially, is this spirit. It's this sort of character, very much with some childlike energy, which permeates all of this music... The first album represents kind of pre-dawn, to that moment at the end of the morning when everything's very much alive.
Quote examples
Kurt Sutter
American Director
I navigate through the world with the excitement and determination of a child. That's why I'm an artist. I'd die without an outlet for expression. Unfortunately, more often than not, that childlike energy is the maturity level I bring to many circumstances.
Quote examples
Michael Leunig
Australian Cartoonist
What a magical thing is the bed, and what a vulnerable, innocent creature is the sleeping human - the human who never looks more truthful or pitiful or benign; the curled-up, childlike dreaming soul who has for a few hours become an angel adrift.
Quote examples
Grace Jones
Model
I like conflicts. I love competition. I like discovering things for myself. It's a childlike characteristic, actually. But that gives you a certain amount of power, and people are intimidated by that.
Quote examples
Nick Robinson
British Journalist
Fifteen is such a weird age to be. Nobody treats you like an adult, but you desperately want to be one. You still have these childlike aspects, but you're just kind of coming into the world.
Quote examples
Timothy Olyphant
American Actor
It's very rare that you can be in a career for as long as I have and still feel like you're constantly learning and coming at it from an almost childlike perspective.
Quote examples
Tim Vine
British Comedian
As you get older you're told to be sensible, but it's important for writing if you're a comic that you're able to still access that childlike thing.
Example 1 of 10
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