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 latter’s taste for puerile subject matter and sing-song melodies plays into Swords2’s homage to early-’90s emo.
—
Jude Noel,
Pitchfork,
10 Jan. 2026
The book, which has a decidedly feminist bent, becomes a surprise best-seller, and soon Penelope finds herself in Hollywood, surrounded by blowhard executives and puerile male screenwriters who want to adapt her work into a blockbuster.
—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
The Twits are so gross and puerile and nasty in the book.
—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
17 Oct. 2025
The film is not opposed to the occasional piece of puerile humor, like introducing the Dallas skyline exclusively with the decidedly phallic Reunion Tower.
—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Jude Noel,
Pitchfork,
10 Jan. 2026
The book, which has a decidedly feminist bent, becomes a surprise best-seller, and soon Penelope finds herself in Hollywood, surrounded by blowhard executives and puerile male screenwriters who want to adapt her work into a blockbuster.
—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
The Twits are so gross and puerile and nasty in the book.
—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
17 Oct. 2025
The film is not opposed to the occasional piece of puerile humor, like introducing the Dallas skyline exclusively with the decidedly phallic Reunion Tower.
—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puerile
Adjective
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This one has a charming clover shape to make your space feel animated, but not childish.
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The result feels comforting without skewing childish.
Adjective
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His position is assumed, in turn, by the largest of the immature fish, who, thanks to the tragedy, finally gets to grow up.
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Even Stevens was never afraid to go all out for its constant string of gags and jokes, led by Shia LaBeouf as the immature prankster Louis Stevens.
Adjective
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One detour led me to Paul Krassner, a founding member of the Yippies, a radical (and radically goofy) New Left group.
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Alongside Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley and his best friend, Shaggy Rogers, Scooby spent decades unmasking supposedly supernatural villains while winning over generations of fans with his goofy charm, insatiable appetite and signature catchphrases.
Adjective
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The researchers looked at the adolescent’s subjective perception that a device was interfering with the relationship.
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But as our adolescent hero discovers, with great imagination comes great responsibility.
Adjective
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The subtext beneath that statement is that Syd recognizes why Tina might be loath to take orders from a boss who is younger and, relative to Carmy, inexperienced in the business.
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Army investigations have repeatedly pointed to the same factors contributing to fatal training incidents including sleep deprivation, inadequate training and inexperienced leaders supervising high-risk exercises.
Adjective
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Over the years, the visuals dramatically improve, from snuff film aesthetics to confidently silly splendor.
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The Alexa smart assistant is as good as ever, with tons of useful and silly skills, along with deep integration for ordering items via Amazon.
Adjective
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According to police, one woman was shot in the extremity, two juvenile males had lower extremity injuries, and an adult male and female with lower extremity injuries were admitted into area hospitals, all with non-life-threatening injuries.
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Nina Fróes, who was fired from her Chelmsford, Massachusetts, courtroom in April, had covered a juvenile docket toward the end of her tenure.
Adjective
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Still, younger investors are leading the charge for AI adoption.
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Most of those children are 3 years old and younger, USA TODAY has reported.
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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