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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
-
Giant, a play about Dahl running on Broadway through June, is anything but childish.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
-
Garrincha was characterised as childish and moronic in psychological tests commissioned by the Brazilian federation before that tournament in Sweden and was then left out of their first two games.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The agency notes that the wipes are predominantly used on newborns, infants, and young children, who are particularly vulnerable to infections due to their immature immune systems.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
8 June 2026
-
Edamame is young, immature soybeans.—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Scott fares much, much better, grounding the movie’s goofier dialogue in broadly credible conviction.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
This ideal of masculinity is not a patriarch but a perpetual adolescent, endlessly irresponsible and endlessly indulged.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
-
The diary became a map of adolescent rivalry.—
Kate Casey,
Vanity Fair,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
In the end, an inexperienced minor – who has no idea who hired them – pulls the trigger.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
-
Niemeyer found that random killing also creates chaos by replacing older coyotes that have learned the dangers of depredating livestock with younger, inexperienced coyotes that do depredate.—
Ted Williams,
Denver Post,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
From Valentino pig hoofs to Chanel half-sandals, our feeds are full of silly, outrageous and outright ugly footwear.—
Shane O’Neill,
Washington Post,
12 June 2026
-
This 22-inch hopping ball has a silly face on it, available in blue or orange.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
His new path takes him to grad school at Columbia University, with hopes to one day start his own nonprofit, Camp Reese, a bootcamp-style alternative to juvenile incarceration.—
Rina Nakano,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
-
Plans are in motion, however, to reuse the Lincoln Developmental Center, a compound for developmentally disabled adults that was closed years ago, as a juvenile justice facility.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
For young travelers, Paintbox and Paintbox Petite are the resort’s exclusive clubs for children ages 5 to 12 and 2 to 5.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
-
Big surf from a previous swell contributed to a drowning Saturday off Dana Point and, on Wednesday afternoon, the search continued for a young girl swept off the sand Tuesday evening in Laguna Beach.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
