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Glite Dictionary
childly

childly

9.9
To have simple, playful, innocent ways like a small boy or girl
  • adjective
  • /ˈtʃaɪldli/
  • Archaic
translation icon : infantil
  • He looked at the world with a childly sense of wonder.

Examples

  • Her childly innocence made everyone smile.

  • The room was decorated in a childly style, bright and playful.

  • The childly laughter of the kids filled the park.

  • Her childly curiosity often leads her to explore new things.

  • He looked at the world with a childly sense of wonder.

  • Her childly innocence made everyone smile.

  • The room was decorated in a childly style, bright and playful.

Synonyms

kiddy
vschildly
  • Informal
9 5.4

Suitable for young children or with a simple playful style

is used in neutral contexts rather than with informal or mocking tone
infantile
vschildly
2 6.5

Relating to babies or early childhood

is used for young children rather than for infants
kiddish
vschildly
  • Archaic
4.7

Made to please or entertain children

is about general suitability rather than deliberate entertainment
kidlike
vschildly
2.9

Having the innocent, playful curiosity of a child

focuses on being suitable rather than on having those innocent playful traits

Antonyms

adult
∞ 1.0

A person who is fully grown and no longer a child

mature
199 3.3

Behaving like an adult and thinking sensibly

How Childlike

childly
  • Archaic
9.9
adultlike
4.2

Surface Forms

childly positive

Morphology

childly = child (transparent) = child + ly

The adjective 'childly' is transparently derived from the noun 'child' with the suffix '-ly', indicating a characteristic or quality.

Etymology

Childly is made from the simple word child and the ending -ly, which turns a word into a quality. So childly means 'like a child' or 'suitable for a young child'.