sophomoric

adjective

soph·​o·​mor·​ic ˌsäf-ˈmȯr-ik 

-ˈmär-,

 also  ˌsȯf-,

 or  ˌsä-fə-,

 or  ˌsȯ-fə-

1

: conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature

a sophomoric argument

2

: lacking in maturity, taste, or judgment

sophomoric humor

Did you know?

Sophomores get a bad rap. A lot of people seem to think they're foolish (no matter what they do), when they themselves know they're pretty wise. The history of the words sophomore and sophomoric (which developed from sophomore) proves that it has always been tough to be a sophomore. Those words probably come from a combination of the Greek terms sophos (which means "wise") and mōros (which means "foolish"). But sophomores can take comfort in the fact that some very impressive words, including philosopher and sophisticated, are also related to sophos.

Examples of sophomoric in a Sentence

His behavior at the party was sophomoric.

Recent Examples on the Web

Brainwashing corruption also occurs at the movies, proven by the year’s highest-grossing film, Inside Out 2, a sophomoric rationalization of the psychological effects of Covid psyops. —Armond White, National Review, 12 July 2024

The proudly sophomoric pop-punk trio from Southern California is three decades into their run as arguably the most successful full-throttle pop-punk trio, not counting Green Day. —Stefan Stevenson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2024

This is just one of the bizarre, disorienting moments from a show that is sophomoric in its sensibility and half-baked in its execution. —E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2024

According to Musk, the system failed them because the talents of the teaching staff tasked with imparting this knowledge to their students were sophomoric at best. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

sophomoric

adjective

soph·​o·​mor·​ic ˌsäf-ə-ˈmōr-ik 

-ˈmȯr-,

-ˈmär-

1

: conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature

a sophomoric argument

2

: lacking in maturity, taste, or judgment

sophomoric humor