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

There was Trump’s bonkers Madison Square Garden rally, situated in a state that Harris will end up winning by double digits, where some sophomoric comedian cracked jokes about how Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage” and Trump himself made some of his most outlandish remarks of the campaign.

From Slate

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 government looked a little sophomoric and unprofessional when they charged him for a crime that wasn’t a crime at the time,” said Los Angeles litigator Tre Lovell, who is not involved in the “Rust” shooting matter.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From New York Times

Related Words

• foolish