Puerile
/ˈpjʊə.ɹaɪl/ adj
adj ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Childish; trifling; silly.
"1850, Thomas De Quincey, French and English Manners (originally published in Hogg's Instructor The French have been notorious through generations for their puerile affectation of Roman forms, models, and historic precedents."
- 2 Characteristic of, or pertaining to, a boy or boys; compare puellile.
Adjective
- 1 displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity wordnet
- 2 of or characteristic of a child wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"What puerile behaviour! Grow up!"
Etymology
From Latin puerīlis (“childish”), from puer (“child, boy”).