childlike

[chahyld-lahyk] /ˈtʃaɪldˌlaɪk/
adjective
1.
like a child, as in innocence, frankness, etc.; befitting a child:
childlike trust.
Origin
1580-90; child + -like
Related forms
childlikeness, noun
unchildlike, adjective
Can be confused
childish, childlike (see synonym study at childish)
Synonyms
young, ingenuous, simple, guileless, trusting, innocent. See childish.
Antonyms
sophisticated, adult.
Examples from the web for childlike
  • She is mature beyond her years, but she still clings to childlike practices.
British Dictionary definitions for childlike

childlike

/ˈtʃaɪldˌlaɪk/
adjective
1.
like or befitting a child, as in being innocent, trustful, etc Compare childish (sense 2)
Word Origin and History for childlike
adj.

1580s, "proper to a child," from child + like. Meaning "like a child" in a good sense (distinguished from childish) is from 1738.