puerile

[ pyoo-er-il, -uh-rahyl, pyoor-il, -ahyl ]
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adjective
  1. of or relating to a child or to childhood.

  2. childishly foolish; immature or trivial: a puerile piece of writing.

Origin of puerile

1
1650–60; <Latin puerīlis boyish, equivalent to puer boy + -īlis-ile

Other words for puerile

Other words from puerile

  • pu·er·ile·ly, adverb
  • non·pu·er·ile, adjective
  • non·pu·er·ile·ly, adverb

Words Nearby puerile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use puerile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for puerile

puerile

/ (ˈpjʊəraɪl) /


adjective
  1. exhibiting silliness; immature; trivial

  2. of or characteristic of a child

Origin of puerile

1
C17: from Latin puerīlis childish, from puer a boy

Derived forms of puerile

  • puerilely, adverb
  • puerility (pjʊəˈrɪlɪtɪ), noun

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