How to Use childlike in a Sentence

childlike

adjective
  • We gazed at it in childlike wonder.
  • She took a childlike glee in describing every detail.
  • And that childlike joy led Jim to some of his best ideas.
    — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026
  • Moving freely through this scenery called up a childlike joy.
    — Tess Taylor, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 May 2022
  • Burton still has some childlike ways.
    — Eli Hager, ProPublica, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Maud Lewis was born deformed with no chin and a small childlike frame.
    — Cincinnati.com, 20 Sep. 2017
  • Bizarrely childlike, full of wonder.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
  • There’s a kind of childlike playfulness to it.
    — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 18 Dec. 2025
  • At the same time, the alphabet can be childlike and playful and fun.
    — Jeff Gammage, Philly.com, 15 Sep. 2017
  • There’s a lot of holding on to a childlike version of herself.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 21 June 2022
  • They were still amped from a photo shoot and full of childlike excitement.
    — Kat Bein, Billboard, 3 Dec. 2019
  • To say this place brought out childlike joy would be an understatement.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2021
  • There is a fine line between naïve and childlike, but that is where expertise comes in.
    — Olivia Martin, Town & Country, 4 Nov. 2019
  • Our son asked us to counsel this woman, who seemed childlike at 25.
    — New York Times, 2 Nov. 2021
  • Colin’s character is so childlike, and that was clear from the script.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 1 Nov. 2022
  • Here, Matthew’s singing it in a really childlike way.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
  • His team took videos of their own kids at home, using them as reference to hone in on the childlike essence.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 14 Nov. 2020
  • Sable won't match that scale, but the wonder, the creative landscapes, the sense of childlike joy?
    — Julie Muncy, WIRED, 18 June 2018
  • Trader is a very decent character and at the same time is very childlike.
    — Megan Dubois, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2021
  • Always maintain some sort of childlike innocence or joy or just the need for fun.
    — Glenn Garner, PEOPLE.com, 22 June 2021
  • At the same time, James’ melodies had never been so simple, so childlike, or so easy to grasp.
    — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Vish approaches the boat and throws me a childlike smile of delight over his shoulder.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
  • Watching the floats covered in flowers pass by has always sparked a childlike joy in my heart.
    — oregonlive, 7 Mar. 2022
  • How can having a childlike view of the world help the environment?
    — Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 May 2021
  • Because most of us, even as adults, carry a childlike fear of punishment and blame?
    — Mary Schmich, chicagotribune.com, 16 May 2017
  • At one point, a rash and childlike rabbit named Thumper meets Bambi.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 July 2022
  • Dogs bring childlike joy and a weird connection to the natural world.
    — Marc Peruzzi, Outside Online, 18 Mar. 2020
  • There’s this childlike wonder of living out fantasies he’s been deprived of his whole life.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
  • Brown bangs, on the other hand—especially short brown bangs—are cute and childlike.
    — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 6 Mar. 2018
  • The cut is childlike, but the colors are neutral and elegant.
    — Mattie Kahn, Town & Country, 14 Jan. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'childlike.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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