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GRE vocabulary

puerile

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore P words

childishly silly and immature

Word origin: From Latin puerilis, boyish, from puer, boy.

In a sentence

Puerile in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing puerile in a sentence.

The senator's puerile name-calling embarrassed his own party.

The debate degenerated into puerile name-calling unworthy of a scholarly forum.

Synonyms
childishimmaturejuvenileinfantile
Antonyms
matureadultsophisticated
Usage & nuance

Using “puerile” well

Puerile is dismissive, condemning behavior as childishly immature when adult seriousness is expected.

Common questions

Questions about “puerile

Puerile (adjective) means childishly silly and immature
Here is puerile used in an example sentence: "The senator's puerile name-calling embarrassed his own party." Another example: "The debate degenerated into puerile name-calling unworthy of a scholarly forum."
Common synonyms for puerile include childish, immature, juvenile, infantile.
Antonyms of puerile include mature, adult, sophisticated.
On the GRE, puerile clusters with childish, immature, juvenile, and infantile, opposing mature, adult, and sophisticated.
Yes. Puerile is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

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