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
- sophomorically adverb
- unsophomoric adjective
- unsophomorical adjective
- unsophomorically adverb
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
Martin Eden
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Inexperienced
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
soph
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
At Perrotin he’s mixed things up, but unfortunately his new work is even more sophomoric.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
The show’s jokes are rude and cleverly sophomoric.
From Salon • Aug. 21, 2025
The episodes highlight some seriously twisted creativity packed with adult humor, sci-fi-inspired sophomoric shenanigans and homages to popular culture.
From Washington Times • Dec. 1, 2023
But they weren’t always helped by the staging, particularly when sophomoric swordplay was involved.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2023
Perhaps it is truer to call Mr. Tarkington's plots sophomoric than to call them adolescent.
From Contemporary American Novelists (1900-1920) by Doren, Carl Van
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.
