sophomoric
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to a sophomore or sophomores.
-
suggestive of or resembling the traditional sophomore; intellectually pretentious, overconfident, conceited, etc., but immature.
sophomoric questions.
- Synonyms:
- juvenile, adolescent, childish
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sophomoric
Explanation
Anything sophomoric is foolish and immature. It was totally sophomoric of your friends to throw our clothes into the swimming pool. It's acceptable to use this adjective to mean "characteristic of or relating to a sophomore," so you could describe your sophomoric extracurriculars in high school, like marching band and chess club. It's far more common, however, for sophomoric to be derogatory, appropriate for describing your younger sister's ridiculous practical jokes or the class clown's antic. This word derives from contrasting Greek roots, sophos, "wise," and mōros, "foolish and dull."
Vocabulary lists containing sophomoric
Inexperienced
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Martin Eden
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soph
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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.
You were more of a corraller than a content creator, but you shared the same sophomoric humor with the animation guys who put Comedy Central into the stratosphere: “South Park,” “Beavis and Butt-Head,” “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
If that sounds sophomoric, it’s only because it is.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2025
The hardscrabble lifestyle has made Ginny wise beyond her years, though she’s not immune to mercurial teen mood swings and the sophomoric drama of high school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2025
The world’s greatest assassin has been saddled with the world’s most sophomoric internal monologue.
From New York Times ● May 9, 2024
Ancient history, dead philosophy, sophomoric periods, bad music, empty pews, weary groups of the faithful longing for home, 144 were, in brief, the things that we saw and heard.
From 'Charge It' Keeping Up With Harry by Irving Bacheller
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.
