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
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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
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
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
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
-
That’s as childish an expression as the show ever shares.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The use of childish internet and video-game memes to describe violence is coarse and unworthy of the men and women who go in harm’s way.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The landscaping was sparse and immature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The two did a nice job portraying teenagers who go back and forth from sincere to ridiculously immature, but the best part was their horror when Jost fired back.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But the sketch is the same goofy girl as in my mirror—V-neck T-shirt, wide forehead, low ponytail showing my ear piercings.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
With respect to any of the real deaths on display in the 1978 Faces of Death, the movie is mostly just goofy.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
All adolescent boys are exposed to the manosphere; not all spot its most notorious avatar driving through their city in a luxury car, as Alex recently did.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Approximately 16% of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors who stayed cancer-free for at least five years are at high risk, compared to about 12% of people in the same age group without cancer.—
Tesfaye Negussie,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Blackhawks understood that handing their defense to a group of young, inexperienced players would be a challenge after the trade deadline.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
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As New York Magazine reported last month, shifts are also crushingly long, the vast majority of managers are young and inexperienced, and contracts often end abruptly without any prior warning.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Menu references to ancient reptiles — plus the brand’s silly mascot, a dinosaur in a toque — make fast food feel more like fun food.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Apr. 2026
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What appears to be a bouncy, silly romp about a slightly surreal situation (Murray plays Phil, a weatherman reliving the same day over and over) is, at its core, actually quite deep.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The driver and a juvenile boy were both taken to the hospital with unknown injuries, according to the release.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Leatherman ran toward two juvenile bystanders while Selmer ran toward downtown Emmitsburg, according to documents.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The virus is highly contagious and can infect nearly all young children, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The Hochsteins share two young children together.—
Anna McAllister,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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