adjective
-
exhibiting silliness; immature; trivial
-
of or characteristic of a child
Other Word Forms
- nonpuerile adjective
- nonpuerilely adverb
- puerilely adverb
- puerility noun
Etymology
Origin of puerile
1650–60; < Latin puerīlis boyish, equivalent to puer boy + -īlis -ile
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The reception for the visiting team has been predictably hostile, bordering on puerile.
From BBC
Kevin Maher of the Times called the film "puerile, pointless and intellectually specious", noting that some audience members walked out of the Cannes Film Festival screening.
From BBC
His speeches and press conferences are surreal windows into his undisciplined, puerile mind.
From Salon
The early days were defined by blistering, puerile songs, many of which did not have choruses — a style that remains their trademark.
From New York Times
The former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont described it on X, formerly Twitter, as "puerile," adding "the notion that hate is driven by economic disadvantage insults all who support their families and communities despite poverty."
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
