puerile
[pyoo-er-il, -uh-rahyl, pyoo r-il, -ahyl]
- of or relating to a child or to childhood.
- childishly foolish; immature or trivial: a puerile piece of writing.
Show More
Origin of puerile
Synonyms
See more synonyms for puerile on Thesaurus.com1. youthful, juvenile. 2. juvenile, silly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for puerile
Contemporary Examples
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.
Historical Examples
Their falsehoods were puerile, their affirmations ridiculous.
Therese RaquinEmile Zola
He only issued from his torpor at night to fall into blind and puerile fits of anger.
Therese RaquinEmile Zola
The ideal is as impracticable as it is puerile and retrograde.
Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 3 of 3)John Morley
We are too absorbed in the puerile interests and occupations of daily life.
The Golden FountainLilian Staveley
The officers took, as usual, a puerile revenge in the form of a burlesque.
The Siege of BostonAllen French
puerile
- exhibiting silliness; immature; trivial
- of or characteristic of a child
Show More
Word Origin
C17: from Latin puerīlis childish, from puer a boy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for puerile
adj.
1660s, "youthful, boyish," a back-formation from puerility, or else from French puéril (15c.), from Latin puerilis "boyish; childish," from puer "boy, child" (see puerility). Disparaging sense, "juvenile, immature," is from 1680s.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper