Puerility

Puerility, stemming from the Latin 'puer' meaning 'boy,' refers to the quality of being childish, trivial, and immature, particularly in behavior or expression. It denotes a lack of seriousness, depth, or sophistication, often manifested as silliness, impertinence, or an excessive focus on unimportant matters. puerility can encompass actions, words, and ideas that are considered immature or unworthy of an adult. It can apply to individuals, groups, or even entire artistic or social movements. This quality often reflects a limited perspective and a failure to appreciate nuance, making it easily distinguished from genuine naivety or innocence. Ultimately, puerility undermines credibility and can lead to derision.

Puerility meaning with examples

• The comedian's performance was marred by puerility. His jokes, filled with bathroom humor and exaggerated physical gags, failed to elicit laughter from the audience, who found them more embarrassing than funny. His attempts at witty commentary fell flat, revealing an inability to grasp subtle humor, highlighting his regression towards a younger more juvenile mindset. It's evident his focus was to attract people with jokes that are not funny, instead of genuinely amusing people, showing puerility.
• The board meeting was disrupted by the chairman's puerility. His constant interruptions, irrelevant side comments, and refusal to acknowledge differing opinions created an atmosphere of disrespect. He displayed an immature inability to engage in constructive debate, preferring instead to resort to childish insults and power plays. This made it difficult to maintain a professional environment. His constant jokes are considered puerility which destroyed the seriousness of the conversation.
• The novel's plot was criticized for its puerility. Critics lambasted the unrealistic characters, the predictable storyline, and the simplistic resolution, deeming them unworthy of a serious literary work. The author was accused of catering to a lowest-common-denominator audience with easy thrills and a lack of artistic ambition, which shows the immaturity and puerility of the plot and writing style. It lacked the depth to engage the reader.
• His online interactions were filled with puerility. He would flood social media with memes, juvenile taunts, and inflammatory comments, designed to provoke reactions rather than contribute to meaningful discussions. His behavior displayed an immature desire for attention, using immature, and childish words. It indicated a lack of self-awareness. All of this is puerility, and the act of making childish remarks online doesn't do justice to what adults should do.
• The political campaign's use of negative advertisements was perceived as puerility by many voters. Instead of focusing on substantive policy debates, the campaign resorted to character assassinations and trivial accusations. This shift in focus underscored a lack of respect for the electorate's intelligence. Such puerility damages the conversation and causes a negative image of politicians, as it's obvious they act immaturely with each other.