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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puerile
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
Hoping to usurp him from the throne, Kuzco's advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), cooks up a plot to poison the puerile figurehead.
—Devin Nealy, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for puerile 
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
Hoping to usurp him from the throne, Kuzco's advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), cooks up a plot to poison the puerile figurehead.
—Devin Nealy, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for puerile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puerile
Adjective
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And also Gary's behavior back towards Glenn on that was just quite a bit childish.—
Gina Ragusa,
EW.com,
3 Feb. 2025
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Your brother’s behavior is passive-aggressive and childish.—
Jeanne Phillips,
The Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Edamame Edamame are immature green soybeans high in protein, fiber, iron, vitamin C, and calcium.—
Jamie Johnson,
Verywell Health,
6 Feb. 2025
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People who are emotionally immature often won’t take responsibility for their own actions when something goes wrong.—
Kathy and Ross Petras, Contributors,
CNBC,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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As his goofy face is soon detached from the rest of his body and tossed around the room like a hot potato, blood spraying in all directions, the class is left traumatized and Mr. Bunting’s dismissal suddenly starts to feel slightly warranted.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2025
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The premise: Jim (Will Ferrell) is a goofy widowed dad whose daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) has gotten engaged; Margot (Reese Witherspoon) is an uptight businesswoman whose younger sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) has gotten engaged.—
Moira MacDonald / Seattle Times,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The move swept up many resources on the CDC website, ranging from data on adolescent health and infectious disease to clinical guidelines on reproductive care and HIV.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
6 Feb. 2025
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Dawn Bounds, PhD, an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Irvine Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, specializes in social media and adolescent mental health.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Today, Sophia Smith, a Colorado kid whose commute from Windsor and dedication to soccer makes my story look silly, is making more than $500,000 a year in her new contract with the Portland Thorns, and reports say her outside contracts and sponsorships are worth another $1.2 million.—
Megan Schrader,
The Denver Post,
9 Feb. 2025
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The way bacon is packaged in this country is silly.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a distinctive subtype of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, characterized by fever and arthritis, often accompanied by rash, according to the National Institute of Health.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
Fox News,
7 Feb. 2025
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He was charged with first-degree grand theft vehicle and taken to a juvenile corrections center.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And fellow young Republicans are celebrating having one of their own join the executive branch for the first time.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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Questioning the boundaries of Mexican identity is a recurring concern amongst younger Mexican artists working today.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Telling people to evacuate with no plan — or even an actual route — seems pretty futile.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
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That disaster is remembered for the heroic action of federal worker Lenny Skutnik, a bystander who watched a helicopter’s futile effort to pull survivors from the river.—
Matt Leclercq,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near puerile
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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