puerilely
1
9.1
To act in a childish way
- adverb
- /ˈpjʊəraɪli/
- Offensive
:
puerilmente
- She approached the situation puerilely, laughing instead of taking it seriously.
Examples
-
They acted puerilely, making jokes when they should have been focused.
-
He argued puerilely, insisting that everyone should follow his silly rules.
-
It's so puerilely self-satisfied.
Fiction book (1999)
Synonyms
childishly
vspuerilely
3
3.9
Act in a silly, immature way like a young person
is broader immaturity rather than mainly playful naivety
immaturely
vspuerilely
1
4.0
In a childish way that shows poor control of feelings, actions, or thinking
is more about childish mannerisms than clinical developmental lack
sillily
vspuerilely
1
8.1
In a foolish way to make people laugh
is about childish immaturity rather than mere foolish fun
babyishly
vspuerilely
1
5.6
In a childish way, like a child wanting attention
is immature in manner without the strong infantile dependence
Antonyms
How Childish
Surface Forms
puerilely positive
Morphology
Etymology
Puerilely comes from the Latin word puer, which means 'boy', so it originally suggested a 'boy-like' way of behaving. That's why to act puerilely is to behave in a childish, silly, or immature way.