Meaning & use
puerile
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableformaldisapproving
Silly and immature, in a way that you would expect from a small child but not from a grown person.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: puerile humor; the joke was puerile.
Patterns
- be puerile about something
The meeting dissolved into puerile bickering about who had the better chair.
I found the film's puerile jokes more tiresome than funny.
It was puerile of him to hide her phone.
Word forms
| comparative | more puerile |
|---|---|
| superlative | most puerile |
Common combinations
- puerile humor
- The show relies on puerile humor to fill the time.
- puerile behavior
- Throwing food was puerile behavior for a company dinner.
- puerile insults
- The debate fell into puerile insults.
- a puerile attempt
- It was a puerile attempt to get attention.
- downright puerile
- His reply was downright puerile.
Synonyms and how they differ
- childish
- Childish is the everyday word and milder, while puerile is more formal and sounds harsher.
- immature
- Immature describes a lack of emotional growth in general, whereas puerile points to silly, trivial behavior.
- infantile
- Infantile suggests behavior suited to a baby and is even more scornful than puerile.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: puerile or peril? puerile or juvenile?
puerile vs peril
A peril is a serious danger and has no relation to childishness, though the sounds are similar.
puerile vs juvenile
Juvenile can be neutral when it means young, but puerile is always critical.
Practice
The politician's _____ name-calling embarrassed even his supporters.
Choose one answer.
Puerile means childishly silly, which fits name-calling. Prudent means careful and would be praise, so it does not fit the embarrassment.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “puerile”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.