Words for Today - August 21, 2009

infantile, purile, adolescent, mature - (purile - PURE-eyel) - adjectives to signify a particular emotional or active stage in growing to maturity

Example: "Physically, we grow from baby to adult, but emotionally or in action we might be arrested anywhere along the maturing process from being infantile, purlile or adolescent without ever reaching true maturity . In fact, says a report in Esquire magazine, whole societies, like ours today, can be called generally adolescent for its egocentric reluctance to grow up and accept responsibilities. "