The quality or state of being childlike; resembling or having the innocent qualities of a child.
From 'childlike' (child + -like, meaning resembling) + '-ness' (suffix forming abstract nouns). The word emphasizes the positive, innocent qualities of childhood rather than negative immaturity.
English carefully distinguishes 'childish' (negative: immature, petulant) from 'childlike' (positive: innocent, wondering)—this shows how language encodes moral judgments; the '-likeness' in the noun form carries this positive valence from the adjective.
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