silly or trivial, esp. in a childish way or as a result of immaturity
Origin of puerile
from French or L: French puéril from Classical Latin puerilis from puer, boy: see poultry
Andy is up to his usual puerile behavior by making a photocopy of his face.
The definition of puerile is something characteristic of or related to a child, especially silly, trivial or childish behavior.
Silly and foolish jokes that would cater to juvenile humor are examples of puerile jokes.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"puerile." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Puerile>.
APA Style
puerile. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Puerile
puerile
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"puerile." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Puerile>.
APA Style
puerile. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Puerile
puerile
adjective
- Immature, especially in being silly or trivial; childish. See Synonyms at young.
- Archaic Belonging to childhood; juvenile.
Origin of puerile
Latin puerīlis from puer child, boy ; see pau-1 in Indo-European roots.Related Forms:
- puer·ile·ly
adverb
- puer′il′i·ty puer′ile·ness
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"puerile." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Puerile>.
APA Style
puerile. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Puerile
Adjective
(comparative more puerile, superlative most puerile)
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"puerile." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Puerile>.
APA Style
puerile. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Puerile
Sentence Examples
- It is usual for children to act puerile, but in adults it seems ridiculous.
- But his adventures are the merest nightmares of puerile fancy.
- The saints lives are full of puerile legend.
- I cannot condone such puerile activity in this place of business.
- If you act in a puerile way, many people will not take you seriously.
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Words near puerile in the dictionary
- puerile
- puer
- pueraria-lobata
- puerarin