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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3
as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the kind of puerile jokes that teenage moviegoers apparently love
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puerile
Comparing the two is puerile, even by politicians’ standards.
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Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
Even if TikTok really is shut down in the United States by the end of the month, capping at least one spigot of puerile content, the damage will have been done.
—Helen Holmes, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Lamar and his family, in this reading, are Edenic figures, inaugurating a new sort of American iconography, descended from Wood and Parks but breaking from them as well, born from the aftermath of a great—if also sometimes regrettably puerile—battle.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
Trump’s supporters turn the tables on his puerile critics.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puerile
Adjective
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The brand is seeing an upswing post-pandemic, as these childish styles, long favored in Asia-Pacific countries like Japan and South Korea, become increasingly popular in China and the West.—
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She’s fallen under the sway of a fashionable worldview in which logic is paramount, and the realm of emotion and magic and even dæmons is just childish fancy.—
Adjective
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Its audience, once immature teenagers, is now made up of immature middle-aged people — plus a whole lot of new immature teenagers.—
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The bacterial illness, called infant botulism, occurs when babies ingest spores of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which can grow in their immature digestive systems and produce toxin.—
Adjective
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Norman spoke with Mixed Asian Media about her role in the show and how playing a hard-working ballet dancer compared to her real-life goofier and more extroverted personality.—
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Ross was fairly goofy in his courtships of coaches Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton and quarterback Tom Brady.—
Adjective
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced major changes to its childhood and adolescent immunization schedule, an age-by-age guide for health care providers on when to vaccinate children to protect them from preventable diseases.—
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The show channels a certain energetic, zany sense of humor viewers could recognize from their own adolescent friendships and antics, culminating in a five-season run and a 2021–2023 revival on Paramount+.—
Adjective
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Jokic didn’t overtake Jamal Murray as Denver’s leading scorer until their seventh game of the season, after a 33-point performance Wednesday against a Miami Heat frontcourt that was woefully undersized and inexperienced the instant Bam Adebayo exited with a foot injury.—
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Henderson has struggled in that role as a rookie, and Jennings is inexperienced at the pro level.—
Adjective
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To say the road to the Super Bowl goes through Jacksonville sounds silly in the NFL’s grand scheme, but for a talented and decorated Bills group that never has won there, that’s the first stop on the quest.—
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Citing the Monroe Doctrine is silly.—
Adjective
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According to her campaign website, her priorities include protecting parks, transit services, aging and disability services and veterans programs, as well as pursuing criminal justice and juvenile correction reform.—
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As of Monday, the juvenile victim was in the hospital and still receiving medical treatment for their injuries.—
Adjective
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Both the barn owl and the center’s 14-year-old eastern screech owl were rescued as young animals.—
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That is a recipe for political disruption that defies classic lines between Republicans and Democrats and between conservatives and liberals − particularly among younger voters who have less history with and allegiance to either party.—
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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