dolllike

Dolllike is an English adjective meaning resembling a doll in appearance or style. In art, fashion, and media, it is used to describe features or compositions that evoke the toy-like, idealized aesthetic of dolls, such as smooth, flawless skin, large round eyes, a small mouth, and symmetrical facial proportions. The term can refer to both human subjects and nonhuman objects.

Orthography: The standard spellings are doll-like (hyphenated) or dolllike (one word). When written without a hyphen and with no space, the sequence doll + like yields dolllike, a form that many style guides discourage because of the awkward triple-l cluster. The variant dolllike appears mainly as an occasional typographical artifact rather than a recognized form.

Usage contexts: The term appears in fashion and beauty journalism to describe makeup or styling that emphasizes a doll-like look, in character design and animation, and in critiquing sculpture or figurines. It is not a technical term in the sciences. In some contexts it may imply conformity to a culturally constructed standard of cuteness, which can carry objectifying overtones.

Related terms and notes: Dollface, porcelain-doll aesthetic, and kawaii-related descriptions are sometimes used interchangeably, but dolllike specifically foregrounds resemblance to dolls rather than overall cuteness. Writers should consider tone and audience to avoid ambiguous or reductive usage.

See also: doll, dollface, porcelain doll, kawaii.