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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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 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
Worse, though, than such puerile behavior is what Dhillon embodies: an us-vs.-them attitude that permeates the administration and treats those who didn’t vote for Trump — which is more than half the country — as a target.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2025
Far-right conservatives have periodically dragged this bit of puerile, 19th-century chauvinism into the public square to reassure doubters that patriotism is alive and well.
—Emery J Cummins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for puerile
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
Worse, though, than such puerile behavior is what Dhillon embodies: an us-vs.-them attitude that permeates the administration and treats those who didn’t vote for Trump — which is more than half the country — as a target.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2025
Far-right conservatives have periodically dragged this bit of puerile, 19th-century chauvinism into the public square to reassure doubters that patriotism is alive and well.
—Emery J Cummins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puerile
Adjective
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The more childish and unrefined, the better.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
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Child actor Jax James has been set in the series regular role of Dougie, Maureen’s only son who is not even ten but acts like a 60-year-old scholar and has no time for childish fancies.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Preterm and low-birth-weight babies are at higher risk than full-term babies of developing NEC, potentially because of their immature digestive systems, according to the National Institutes of Health.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
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When the eggs hatch, the immature stages start feeding.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Plus, the movie is simply too goofy and good-natured for any of its feminist agitation to land.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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As inherently goofy as the practice is—imagine Andy Reid pacing the sidelines in full shoulder-pads-and-helmet regalia, or Mike Brown rocking shorts and a tank top at the Garden—baseball would be diminished in some small way if the managers decided to start wearing street clothes.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The detrimental effects of early start times affect high school students during adolescent development.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
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My siblings and friends became an adolescent Image Ten, everyone contributing (poorly but enthusiastically) in front of and behind the camera.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But Miami is using an inexperienced quarterback, who had struggled on every level of the game with the exception of spot playing time the past two years, to do so?—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
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One year ago, Georgetown was deemed too small and too inexperienced – yet the Royals developed a hard-nosed defensive identity that led to their first state championship in program history.—
Justin Barrasso,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Just cultivating and just feeding that division and those just absolute silly fights.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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The point is not to sell her business, not to get more followers, not to create a cult of her own; the point is looking at interpersonal dynamics, getting into conflicts, resuming those conflicts, and then sometimes doing silly things after drinking too much rosé.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Roberge also had said the Tolland facility, which could have begun operating in 2029, would have housed as many as 18 teenage boys being held in state juvenile detention centers in Hartford and Bridgeport, which were not designed to house youths for long periods of time.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026
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Two juvenile suspects exited the bus and fled the scene after the shooting.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Olivia, meanwhile, is both a protector and leader with her younger sister.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Mar. 2026
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Which is why once again Samara Weaving’s Grace MacCaullay is on the run for her life, only now with her younger sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) in tow.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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