adjective
-
exhibiting silliness; immature; trivial
-
of or characteristic of a child
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of puerile
1650–60; < Latin puerīlis boyish, equivalent to puer boy + -īlis -ile
Explanation
Some people like their movies to have sophisticated humor and others prefer the more puerile humor of pratfalls or jokes about smelly underwear, inappropriate belching, and passing gas. Although the adjective, puerile can be used to describe anything related to childhood, more often than not, it is used in a derisive manner to comment on the immaturity, silliness, or juvenile nature of something or someone. So if you hear someone talk about puerile toys, they may merely be remarking on the toys of childhood, but it is more likely they are discussing whoopee cushions, fake dog poo, and the like.
Vocabulary lists containing puerile
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
Puerile and silly, but there's nothing wrong with that ...
From The Guardian • Jul. 25, 2013
This is what the French call the Cold and the Puerile Stile.
From An Essay on Criticism by Oldmixon, John
Puerile they may be; but these sublime puerilities were peculiar to Saint Francis d'Assisi and of Marcus Aurelius.
From Les Misérables by Hapgood, Isabel Florence
Puerile, pū′ėr-īl, adj. pertaining to children: childish: trifling: silly.—adv.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various
Puerile in a sense it had every right to be, for modern prose narration was then in its very infancy in this country.
From Pastoral Poetry and Pastoral Drama A Literary Inquiry, with Special Reference to the Pre-Restoration Stage in England by Greg, Walter W.
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.
