These two adjectives both mean “like a child” but in different ways.
Childish means “like a child” in a negative sense—incompetent, ignorant, selfish, or overly emotional for trivial reasons:
It is childish to get angry when you don’t get what you want.
Childlike, in contrast, means “like a child” in a neutral or positive way:
The older lady seemed childlike with her passion for kittens and butterflies.
Childlike indicates qualities such as openness, honesty, curiosity, and wonder.
Keep reading for more examples of how to use these words in a sentence.
How to Use "Childish" in a Sentence
- I'm not childish; I just like to have fun.
- This childish behavior is unacceptable and it needs to stop.
- I can't believe Ryan is being so childish about this.
- Remember all those childish fights we used to have?
- People at work are so childish. Seriously! I feel like I’m the only adult in the building when I’m there.
- Some people might say that acting childish is simply a phase that everyone goes through. But for others, it can be a lifelong habit that's hard to break.
- Matt promised his wife that he wouldn’t engage in this childish behavior any longer.
How to Use "Childlike" in a Sentence
- Lindsey looks at the world with childlike wonder and sees everything in front of her with fresh, innocent eyes.
- I remember my youth dearly, looking upon the world with a childlike fascination.
- Childlike wonder and curiosity is what makes life worth living.
- Your childlike curiosity is an inspiration to me.
- There was an air of childlike innocence about the way he moved and behaved.
- The childlike wonder in your eyes is what I see every time you look at me.
- You see the world from a childlike perspective, while I see it through the jaded eyes of experience.