cherubic

IPA/tʃəˈruːbɪk/
KK[tʃɚˈubɪk]IPA/tʃəˈruːbɪk/

cherubic — adjective

  • cherubicpositive
  • more cherubiccomparative
  • most cherubicsuperlative

1. describing a person — especially a child — whose face looks round, soft, and swe

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a person — especially a child — whose face looks round, soft, and sweetly innocent, like the baby angels shown in traditional religious paintings

Example

The toddler had a cherubic face with pink cheeks and bright blue eyes.

collocation: cherubic face

In the old church, Ravi admired the cherubic faces painted on the wooden ceiling.

used in descriptions of religious art

Common collocations
  • cherubic face
  • cherubic smile
  • cherubic expression
  • cherubic cheeks
  • cherubic features
Synonyms
  • angelic

    stronger connection to divine goodness; can describe personality or behaviour, not just appearance

  • innocent

    broader and much more common; refers to a lack of experience or guilt, not necessarily a round face

  • childlike

    focuses on the positive, pure qualities of a child without the angelic or religious association

Antonyms
  • sinister

    suggests an evil or threatening appearance, opposite of sweet innocence

  • forbidding

    describes a stern or unwelcoming facial expression

Grammar Patterns

cherubic + noun

be + cherubic

Usage Note

Almost always used to describe a person's face, smile, or expression — not their personality, voice, or actions. The word carries a warm, admiring tone.

Common Mistakes

The CEO gave a cherubic speech to the board members.
The CEO gave a warm speech to the board members.
cherubic describes innocent, childlike appearance (especially facial features), not speaking style or professional conduct.
My grandmother has a cherubic laugh.
My grandmother has a sweet laugh.
cherubic typically refers to how someone looks (round face, innocent expression), not to the sound of their voice or laughter.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Cherubic, angelic, innocent, and childlike all describe a positive, unworldly quality, but they differ in scope and connotation. Cherubic is the most specific: it refers to the physical appearance of having a round, soft, sweetly innocent face — like a Renaissance cherub. Angelic can describe appearance too, but it more often refers to moral goodness or kind behaviour ('her angelic patience'). Innocent is the broadest term and the most common; it can describe a person's look, nature, or even their lack of involvement in something ('an innocent bystander'). Childlike emphasises the pure, trusting qualities of a young child ('childlike wonder'), whereas cherubic always carries a visual, almost painterly quality. For example, you might say a baby has a cherubic face but childlike curiosity — the two words highlight different aspects of childhood.

angelic ↗innocent ↗childlike ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • almost cherubic
  • somewhat cherubic
  • strangely cherubic

Phrases

  • cherubic in appearance

Etymology

HebrewGreekLatinEnglish

The word comes from cherub, a type of angel described in the Bible. In Latin and Greek the form was cherub (plural cherubim). The English adjective cherubic developed in the 1600s. During the Renaissance, artists began painting cherubs as plump, rosy-cheeked babies with wings, which gave the adjective its modern meaning of looking sweet and childlike rather than purely religious.