What’s the difference between childish and childlike?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused by learners of English: childish and childlike.

childish

You say that someone is childish if you think they are behaving in a silly or immature way.

Don’t be so childish.

We were shocked by Josephine’s selfish and childish behaviour.

childlike

You describe someone’s voice, appearance, or behaviour as childlike when it seems like that of a child.

Her voice was fresh and childlike.

`That’s amazing!’ he cried with childlike enthusiasm.

Find out more in our English Usage article.

This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage, written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit:  https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

Related Articles

Other Articles

What’s the difference between lay and lie?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused by learners of English: lay and lie. lay Lay is a transitive verb, and it is also a past tense of another verb, ‘lie’. To lay something somewhere means to put it there carefully… Read More

What’s the difference between floor and ground?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused by learners of English: floor and ground. floor The floor of a room is the flat part you walk on. The book fell to the floor. They were sitting on the floor. A floor of… Read More

What’s the difference between habit and custom?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused by learners of English: habit and custom. habit A habit is something that a person does often or regularly. He had a nervous habit of biting his nails. Try to get out of the habit of… Read More
collinsdictionary