10 Significant Difference Between Childish and Childlike

Difference Between Childish and Childlike: You might have heard the two words used on different people and conceived for a moment that they meant the same things. In reality, they don’t. ‘Childish’ is often used with very negative connotations.

So sometimes, people are wont to confuse one for the other, using one where the other should be used. In the succeeding section, however, we will look at 10 ways in which the two adjectives differ in their usage and perception.

The term ‘childlike’ is used with more positive connotations, depending on the age of the person addressed. What often confuses most people is the root word for both adjectives being ‘child’ while the suffixes ‘ish’ and ‘like’ almost mean similar things.

10 Notable Distinctions Between Childish and Childlike

1. Age: Age plays a major factor in understanding the differences between the two words. The word ‘childish’ – which connotes a type of behavior typical to children with respect to their folly and immaturity – is however never targeted at children.

Essentially, a person has to not be a child in order to qualify for the adjective. ‘Childlike’ on the other hand is used on both children and adults alike to allude to qualities such as innocence, and ebullient, brimming personalities.

2. Purpose: However subjective this may be, the purpose of using the word ‘childish’ is often to draw attention to a person’s seemingly immature character, attitudes, and actions. The purpose of using ‘childlike’ is to draw attention to a person’s innocuousness and naiveté.

3. Offense: When a person tells another that the other is behaving in a childish manner, there is an exceeding likelihood that the other person will be hurt or offended. When a person tells another that the other is behaving in a childlike manner the tendency to offend is so little as to be considered negligible.

4. Reception: Generally, words are received in a variety of manners depending on the situations in which they are said and how they are said. However, ‘Childish’ is likely to be received in a more incendiary manner than ‘childlike’ which may likely be received warmly and happily.

5. Appeal: Generally, the word ‘childlike’ has a warm, scintillating, demure appeal that is generally pleasing and cordial. The word ‘childish’ on the other hand has incendiary and offensive. It also has a heavy appeal which is generally unpleasant and hardly fosters cordiality.

6. Synonyms: One way to tell words apart is by knowing the kinds of words they are linguistically similar to by virtue of their synonyms. The synonyms of ‘childish’ include: immature, jejune, puerile, and babyish. Synonyms of ‘childlike’ include innocent, naïve, and frank, unpretentious.

7. Adore Vs Abhor: In stories or writings in general, one may observe that people use the word ‘childlike’ often in a way that bestows adoration on a person. On the other hand, they use the word ‘childish’ in a way that connotes an abhorrence of that person’s character.

Read Also:

• Difference Between Java and J2EE
• Differences Between Powerbeats 2 and Powerbeats 3
• Difference Between WPA and WPA2
• Difference Between Irish Whiskey and Scotch Whisky
• Investment Platforms in Nigeria

8. Emotional connotations: Using the word ‘childish’ can connote emotionally, leaning towards irritability, morose impatience, and sulkiness. Using the word ‘childlike’ on the other hand can connote emotionally a leaning towards gleeful, happy, and innocent things.

9. Positive/Negative: As can be deduced so far, the two words can be polarized along negative and positive lines, ‘childish’ is the word with a more negative purport and ‘childlike’ being the one with a more positive purport.

10. Derogatory: Finally, as you must know by now, ‘childish’ is essentially a derogatory word that is a word intended to bad-mouth or denigrate, while ‘childlike’ is not.

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe with your email for related materials. Thanks.

CSN Team.