puerile

puerile

adjective

Definition of PUERILE

1

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>

Synonyms adolescent, babyish, immature, infantile, jejune, juvenile, kiddish, puerile

Related Words boyish, brattish, bratty, girlie (or girly), girlish; childlike, innocent, naive (or na{iuml}ve), simple, simplistic, unsophisticated

Near Antonyms unchildlike; cosmopolitan, experienced, knowing, smart, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise

Antonyms adult, grown-up, mature

2

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 adolescent, green, immature, inexperienced, juvenile, puerile, raw, unfledged, unformed, unripe, unripened

Related Words babyish, childish, infantile, infantilized, infantine; boyish, girlish, juvenescent, kiddish, young, youngish, youthful; maidenly, virginal; ingenuous, innocent, naive (or na{iuml}ve), tender; unknowing, unseasoned, unsophisticated, untrained, untried

Near Antonyms advanced, precocious; knowing, savvy, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise

Antonyms adult, experienced, grown-up, mature, ripe

3

lacking in seriousness or maturity <the kind of puerile jokes that teenage moviegoers apparently love>

Synonyms birdbrained, ditzy (or ditsy), dizzy, featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, frothy, futile, goofy, harebrained, light-headed, light-minded, puerile, scatterbrained, silly, yeasty

Related Words fatuous, foolish, inane, nonsensical, thoughtless, witless; crazy, daffy, daft, fruity; exuberant, flippant, fluttery, giggly, happy, light, lighthearted, playful; sappy, shallow, superficial

Near Antonyms grave, melancholy, somber (or sombre), thoughtful; dignified, heavy, no-nonsense, sedate, severe, solemn, staid

Antonyms earnest, serious, serious-minded, sober, unfrivolous