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
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3
as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the kind of puerile jokes that teenage moviegoers apparently love
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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.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
12 June 2026
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The result feels comforting without skewing childish.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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The first thing a stressed cucumber plant will do is drop blossoms and immature fruit, says Gorlin-Crenshaw.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
18 June 2026
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The repetition accounts for immature pollen grains and mediates weather challenges by offering multiple opportunities for the pollen to transfer to the stigma.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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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.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
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All well and good—even if the log-line here may remind some of you of this goofy scene from the Sex and the City movie.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Witt has known the coach since his adolescent years.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
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Upward of a hundred promising adolescent boys, scouted as young as six, are admitted each year to live and train at the facility full time, in a system that resembles top youth-development programs in Europe and South America.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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At $18 or even $15 per hour, many companies don’t see value in hiring inexperienced teens who require extensive training to interact with customers, let alone achieve some measure of productivity.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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Lagway’s depature after 19 starts leaves the Gators to choose between two talented, yet inexperienced options with just one combined start — by Philo against Gardner-Webb in 2025.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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When it’s done well, the audience doesn’t realize that’s what’s happening; this story is super-silly and the characters actually just got a little bit closer.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
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The whole thing was undeniably silly.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
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.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
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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.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
20 June 2026
Adjective
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Moderate exercise has been shown to improve learning among students from elementary school through young adulthood, and the effects on attention, memory and executive function are well-documented, pediatricians say.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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Star pitcher Logan Webb and several of the team's young major leaguers, however, are not expected to be put on the block.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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