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View synonyms for puerile

puerile

[ pyoo-er-il, -uh-rahyl, pyoor-il, -ahyl ]

adjective

  1. of or relating to a child or to childhood.

    Synonyms: juvenile, youthful

  2. childishly foolish; immature or trivial:

    a puerile piece of writing.

    Synonyms: silly, juvenile



puerile

/ ˈpjʊəraɪl; pjʊəˈrɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. exhibiting silliness; immature; trivial
  2. of or characteristic of a child


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Derived Forms

  • ˈpuerilely, adverb
  • puerility, noun

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Other Words From

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of puerile1

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of puerile1

C17: from Latin puerīlis childish, from puer a boy

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Example Sentences

The results were strange, compelling, puerile, trashy and slightly brilliant—laser-targeted towards young Israeli males.

This eight-minute piece of puerile propaganda features the warm and winning voice of Ed Asner.

But for these two puerile sports fans, the evening was almost as much about the play-by-play as how things turned out.

So I simply focused on another British movie star who has depended on his juvenile appeal and not his puerile one.

That man, in this puerile state, has already taken possession of the whole treasure of divine truth!

Under Nurse-tales, I include the extremely puerile stories of the nursery, often (as in the German ones) interlaced with rhymes.

We can say that the prophecies of the Old Testament adjusted to the New, would be very absurd and puerile things.

The incident, puerile in seeming, but serious at bottom, produced a deep resentment towards the party of the nobles.

You have a hundred times sighed at the sight of the sad follies which puerile questions have produced among us.

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Pueblospuerilism