puerile

adjective

ˈpyu̇(-ə)r-əl How to pronounce puerile (audio)
Definition of puerilenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of puerile Mozart, however, isn’t merely a puerile rascal, as his relationship with Lauren Worsham’s Constanze reveals. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for puerile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puerile
  1. childish
  2. immature
  3. goofy
  4. adolescent
  5. inexperienced
  6. silly
  7. juvenile
  8. young
Adjective
  • The portrait of Musk that emerges here is that of a childish, terminally online man who desires to eliminate the messiness of contemporary life for a more rigid order.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • Their ideas about it were often steeped in stereotypes suggesting that Buddhists were irrational and childish in their thinking.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 July 2026
Definition of childish
Adjective
  • Edamame Edamame are young, immature soybeans harvested early.
    — Eleesha Lockett, Verywell Health, 17 July 2026
  • The majority of the pest detections have been of immature life stages of the insect such as egg masses.
    — Lizzie Kane July 9, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of immature
Adjective
  • Dylan Mulvaney and Joe Locke get goofy at the world premiere after party for the new film Heartstopper Forever on July 14 in London.
    — People Staff, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • Don’t let his goofy nature fool you, though; Morman’s standing within the changing media landscape is a reflection of hard work.
    — Nathan Lately, Time, 14 July 2026
Definition of goofy
Adjective
  • Takeovers are at once a timeless illustration of the volatility of crowds—perhaps especially adolescent crowds—and of the much newer potentialities unleashed by the internet a few decades ago.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
  • Another practice involved staff stuffing insects, herbs and different scents into the leaves of lettuce heads, offering the adolescent skunks another challenge that would put their developing foraging skills to the test.
    — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
Definition of adolescent
Adjective
  • After striking up conversation about their individual side projects, Kern lent his app’s base server to an inexperienced Coffee.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026
  • In Shipwrecked, crew members suggest that Schettino was a relatively new and inexperienced captain.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026
Definition of inexperienced
Adjective
  • She’s seen during a dance rehearsal, a silly social media clip, and onstage from their Lollapalooza set, the latter of which came before her announcement in February to step away from Katseye.
    — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
  • Starring British comedy favourites such as Kevin Eldon and Miranda Hart, Hyperdrive is a very silly show that ended up more like a workplace sitcom in space rather than the next Red Dwarf.
    — William Worrall, Space.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • What began as a low-level juvenile case became five years in secure custody as his behavior deteriorated and new charges accumulated.
    — Christina Buttons, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
  • The teen was then arrested and taken to juvenile booking for processing.
    — WBFF STAFF, Baltimore Sun, 13 July 2026
Definition of juvenile
Adjective
  • Be vigilant about never leaving young children and pets in vehicles without supervision, especially during periods of intense heat, as car interiors can quickly become extremely hot.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
  • Hundreds of people, mostly young, gathered in Kyiv Thursday to protest Fedorov’s departure.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Definition of young

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pudgy
puerile
puerility
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Cite this Entry

“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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