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 whole matter is puerile, and Sheriff Gahler should accept he’s met his match in Cassilly.
—
Aegis Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2024
The reflexive response to the sight of André Onana standing, yet again, with his head bowed and his shoulders slumped after Manchester United’s gloriously puerile draw with Galatasaray on Wednesday is sympathy.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Trump is, always and forever, a puerile bully, stuck perpetually on the fifth-grade playground.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024
The inexplicable twists are interspersed with puerile action scenes.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Aegis Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2024
The reflexive response to the sight of André Onana standing, yet again, with his head bowed and his shoulders slumped after Manchester United’s gloriously puerile draw with Galatasaray on Wednesday is sympathy.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Trump is, always and forever, a puerile bully, stuck perpetually on the fifth-grade playground.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024
The inexplicable twists are interspersed with puerile action scenes.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puerile
Adjective
-
His comment about Shildt mad dogging him was childish and hilarious.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
-
But their tit for tat antics on social media have come across as particularly childish given their immense wealth and responsibilities.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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Insecure endpoints, poor management and generally immature cybersecurity practices created an ecosystem ripe with exploitable gaps.—
Thomas Ryd,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Moment Makers Group All cycles involved fresh oocytes (immature eggs found in the ovaries) from young donors (average age 26.1), frozen sperm from male partners and a single blastocyst embryo transfer.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
Adjective
-
Through goofy quips, energetic displays of enthusiasm, and consistent perseverance, Derek continues to push himself and his classmates toward a productive (and silly) semester of learning.—
Caroline Beck,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
-
Despite his affectionate nature and goofy charm, no one ever came to reclaim him—and no one has shown any interest in him since.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
Injury and burnout were adult problems, far from my adolescent horizon.—
Ellen O'Connell Whittet
June 25,
Literary Hub,
25 June 2025
-
Katie Hurley, a child and adolescent psychotherapist and senior clinical advisor for The Jed Foundation, encourages parents to read the labels of any supplements or protein powders their sons are currently using or interested in trying.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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One of Netflix’s big movie plays for July is the sequel to its very silly but very fun action fantasy film The Old Guard.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
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None of that, however, excuses the silly and juvenile behavior of the Assembly’s majority Democrats last week when the chamber took up a resolution commemorating Pride month.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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Chief among these concerns are the misguided beliefs by some supporting the passage of legislation aimed at ensuring juvenile crimes start in the juvenile system, including heinous acts such as murder and rape.—
Ivan J. Bates,
Baltimore Sun,
30 June 2025
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Sharks don’t seek out humans and most incidents are cases of mistaken identity – including by juvenile sharks that fail to distinguish between humans and their prey, shark researchers have told CNN.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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The core group of young professionals, both men and women aged 25-35, is joined by the next gen category of those age 18-24, now about a quarter of the business.—
Tim Newcomb,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Los Angeles is getting a young piece that could improve quite a bit over the next two years.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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The regime’s tyrannical efforts to control and extinguish their savings were futile against their newfound freedom money.—
Mauricio Di Bartolomeo,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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The researchers said their findings should not suggest afforestation and carbon offsetting are futile.—
Hayley Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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