1
as in childish
having or showing the annoying qualities (as silliness) associated with children
told the teenagers that such puerile behavior would not be tolerated during the ceremony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in immature
lacking in adult experience or maturity
allowed the company to be taken over by a bunch of puerile whippersnappers fresh out of business school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the kind of puerile jokes that teenage moviegoers apparently love
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of puerile
The reflexive response to the sight of André Onana standing, yet again, with his head bowed and his shoulders slumped after Manchester United’s gloriously puerile draw with Galatasaray on Wednesday is sympathy.
—
Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Trump is, always and forever, a puerile bully, stuck perpetually on the fifth-grade playground.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024
The inexplicable twists are interspersed with puerile action scenes.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024
Hoping to usurp him from the throne, Kuzco's advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), cooks up a plot to poison the puerile figurehead.
—Devin Nealy, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Trump is, always and forever, a puerile bully, stuck perpetually on the fifth-grade playground.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024
The inexplicable twists are interspersed with puerile action scenes.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024
Hoping to usurp him from the throne, Kuzco's advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), cooks up a plot to poison the puerile figurehead.
—Devin Nealy, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for puerile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puerile
Adjective
-
Yolanda’s wake left hundreds of orphans, but even those like Ubaldo whose family had survived had their childish innocence ripped away.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
5 June 2025
-
The top is tufted, and the slightly pleated skirt gives it just enough charm without treading into childish territory.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
Manipulative or emotionally immature individuals end up exploiting this belief with ease.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
-
Nikki, who can be messy and loud and immature, doesn’t always handle that intensity with grace.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
Fred looked, well, a little goofy and the explosion wasn't nearly as impressive.—
Joe Salas
June 07,
New Atlas,
7 June 2025
-
Primus specialize in bass-heavy, off-kilter rock with a goofy sense of humor.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
Nothing rings more true than the trope of the restless adolescent.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
7 June 2025
-
Dilly Dally, an adolescent loggerhead, first arrived at the LMC back in January after being attacked by a predator.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
Alas, during one night siege (silly enough to not scare the little ones, even as the entire village repeatedly goes up in flames), Hiccup aims his weapon at the shape of a Night Fury (no one, we’re told repeatedly, as ever really seen one), shoots, and … what!—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 June 2025
-
Still, sometimes Forrest’s demands seemed nitpicky, silly even.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
From working in the kitchen at juvenile detention to enrolling in culinary school between prison stints, Carter knew his passion could become his purpose.—
Kizzy Cox,
Essence,
4 June 2025
-
Bean, 84, has been superintendent of the juvenile detention center since 1972.—
Paige Pfleger,
ProPublica,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
Toby Gilroy and Finn Elliott died during a storm after taking their boat to rescue Finn’s younger brother, Kieran Elliot, who was at the towering caves that border the bay.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
While riggers hung massive lights and construction workers assembled the stage on a grueling day before Tyler Childers‘ June 2024 concert at the United Center, three young locals showed up: Cheryl, Larry and Ted.—
Steve Knopper,
Billboard,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
The fight against short-term rentals, after all, can be futile.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
6 June 2025
-
But without Congress actually enacting the DOGE cuts into law, history will show this entire exercise to have been largely futile.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Puerile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puerile. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share