1
as in childish
having or showing the annoying qualities (as silliness) associated with children
told the teenagers that such puerile behavior would not be tolerated during the ceremony
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in immature
lacking in adult experience or maturity
allowed the company to be taken over by a bunch of puerile whippersnappers fresh out of business school
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the kind of puerile jokes that teenage moviegoers apparently love
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puerile
The whole matter is puerile, and Sheriff Gahler should accept he’s met his match in Cassilly.
—
Aegis Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2024
The reflexive response to the sight of André Onana standing, yet again, with his head bowed and his shoulders slumped after Manchester United’s gloriously puerile draw with Galatasaray on Wednesday is sympathy.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Trump is, always and forever, a puerile bully, stuck perpetually on the fifth-grade playground.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024
The inexplicable twists are interspersed with puerile action scenes.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Aegis Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2024
The reflexive response to the sight of André Onana standing, yet again, with his head bowed and his shoulders slumped after Manchester United’s gloriously puerile draw with Galatasaray on Wednesday is sympathy.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Trump is, always and forever, a puerile bully, stuck perpetually on the fifth-grade playground.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024
The inexplicable twists are interspersed with puerile action scenes.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puerile
Adjective
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The exchange ended with both men accusing the other of acting childish.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
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Compiled from Candace Bushnell’s column of the same name from The New York Observer, the book is a dark and bizarre look at dating in 1990s New York, where men are pathologically childish, cruel, and self-centered, and women are domineering, striving, and manipulative.—
Alice Bolin
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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At the very worst, an immature 18-year-old makes a horrific decision on a whim to deface his or her torso with a tableau of repulsive images that could potentially cause medical complications later in life.—
Scott Liftman,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
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The researchers showed how the interplay between a baby's rising sleep pressure and immature circadian rhythms can create seemingly erratic nap behavior that, in reality, follows a mathematically predictable pattern.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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Starring Cain and Teri Hatcher (as Lois Lane), the series put an interesting rom-com spin on the Superman mythos and, sure, the thing was pretty goofy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
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To most viewers, Nicolau — played with irresistible, lightly goofy guilelessness by Francisco Melo — will be a welcome new acquaintance.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Globally, obesity in adults has more than doubled since 1990, with adolescent rates quadrupling, the World Health Organization reported.—
Sara Chernikoff,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
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Cutting between the two timelines, Washington Black bears witness simultaneously to the very first steps in Wash’s adolescent coming-of-age, and the finishing stages of it.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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This perky, self-aware, sarcastic and downright silly show caters to both the more traditional Goodspeed audiences.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
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Green Lantern is earnest and bright and, yeah, incredibly silly and a little embarrassing.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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In fact, juvenile arrests for violent felonies — including many in and around transit — increased in both 2023 and 2024, but these offenses were largely excluded from public crime data.—
Marc Molinaro,
New York Daily News,
25 July 2025
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On the morning of the robberies, according to court documents, there were text messages between Toombs and a person believed to be the juvenile, planning to rob mail carriers that day.—
Hailey Roden,
The Enquirer,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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With school out for most young people, TV usage among kids 6 to 17 increased 27% compared with May, with streaming accounting for two-thirds of the group’s TV time.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
15 July 2025
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Weeks after getting out, his nemesis, Wright, shot and killed Bell’s younger brother, Lamar.—
The Marshall Project,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Go with the flow, but not toward the beach: Trying to swim directly toward the beach when caught in a rip current is futile and exhausting.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
6 July 2025
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This group saw military responses as futile, as Iran was assumed to have escalation dominance.—
JAMES JEFFREY,
Foreign Affairs,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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