sophomoric

[ sof-uh-mawr-ik, -mor- ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a sophomore or sophomores.
2. suggestive of or resembling the traditional sophomore; intellectually pretentious, overconfident, conceited, etc., but immature:

   sophomoric questions.

   Synonyms: juvenile, adolescent, childish

Other Words From

• sopho·mori·cal·ly adverb
• unsoph·o·moric adjective
• unsoph·o·mori·cal adjective
• unsoph·o·mori·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sophomoric¹

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15; sophomore + -ic

Example Sentences

If you are a friend of the Palestinians, the last thing you should promote is sophomoric simplicity.

From Los Angeles Times

That statement could be made about most of what passes for news these days – including the sophomoric nonsense in the Brady press briefing room.

From Salon

The world’s greatest assassin has been saddled with the world’s most sophomoric internal monologue.

From New York Times

Released in 1992, “Stick Around for Joy” became the Sugarcubes’ third and final album, and it had given me “Hit,” a melodramatic song perfect for channeling my sophomoric woes.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump clearly thought his sophomoric slur was awesome, thus the enormous pomp and ceremony in rolling it out.

From Salon

Related Words

• foolish