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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My hair is still thin, childish and deserving of the gentle wash that baby shampoo affords.—
John Hodgman,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
-
The pair settle right away into the half-affectionate, half-annoyed, goofy childish dynamic recognizable to adult siblings everywhere — to the amusement and occasional irritation of Frank, a locally beloved good old boy who’s only the teeny-tiniest bit prone to vanity and corruption.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Yet there’s nothing inherently immature about her voice.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
27 Feb. 2025
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This reflects the struggle many women face with emotionally immature and irresponsible partners.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Plus, he’s got a natural and serious relationship to rap that makes even his goofiest songs really earnest.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2025
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At one point, his girlfriend (played by Heidi Gardner) coaches him into posing using increasingly goofy directions, and Gillis delivers.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Global, regional, and national prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity, 1990–2021, with forecasts to 2050: a forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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In this Jersey club and trap fusion, the 13-year-old tenderly sings about the thrill of an adolescent love.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This will especially appeal to the silly preschoolers in the group!—
Amanda Rock,
Parents,
5 Mar. 2025
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Using medieval art as one resource, Ariès pointed out that children were often portrayed as miniature adults, without special attributes, such as plump features or silly behaviors, that might mark them as fundamentally different from their older counterparts.—
Anna Mae Duane,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Andrew — a former graduate student, whose name has been changed to protect him from harassment — left his position at a major US primate research center in 2022, after spending two years studying infectious diseases in juvenile monkeys.—
Celia Ford,
Vox,
3 Mar. 2025
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Related Articles Broken bones, excessive force and drug overdoses: Inside Colorado’s juvenile detention facilities Colorado Democrats are ready to pass a sweeping gun control bill.—
Seth Klamann,
The Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Ultimately, Wagner’s intangibles outweighed finding a younger replacement.—
Ben Standig,
The Athletic,
7 Mar. 2025
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According to research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2010-2023, more than 2.5 million voluntary medical male circumcisions were performed in the country, with 41% in boys younger than 15.—
Bec Roldan,
NPR,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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For Alok Bansal, a newspaper columnist, the exercise is futile – and threatens to deepen divisions.—
Sushmita Pathak,
The Christian Science Monitor,
3 Mar. 2025
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Challenging the law again was futile until 2023 when progressives retook a 4–3 majority on the court.—
The Editors,
National Review,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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