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puéril

puerile, childish

adjective pü-eh-REEL Rare

Usage Note

Puéril describes behaviour or ideas that are immature and unworthy of an adult — it is mildly pejorative. The feminine form is puérile, plural puérils/puériles. It is related to puéricultrice (nursery nurse) and puériculture (childcare), which share the Latin root meaning 'child' — though those words have no pejorative flavour.

Examples

"Sa réaction était complètement puérile."

Natural Translation

His reaction was completely childish.

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