sophomoric
Meaning: Displaying the overconfidence and intellectual pretension of someone with only superficial knowledge; immature and lacking in sophistication despite claiming otherwise.
Sophomoric describes the particular kind of intellectual immaturity associated with someone who has learned just enough to be dangerous — confident in their opinions but lacking the depth to justify that confidence. The word is more common in American English but is well understood in British literary and academic circles. It is particularly cutting when applied to writing, comedy, or arguments that aspire to cleverness but fall short. The word collocates with 'humour,' 'argument,' 'attempts,' and 'behaviour.'
Examples
- The reviewer dismissed the film's comedy as sophomoric, relying on crude jokes rather than genuine wit. 影评人将该片的喜剧部分斥为幼稚低俗,依赖粗鄙笑话而非真正的机智。El crítico desestimó la comedia de la película como sophomórica, basada en chistes groseros en lugar de verdadero ingenio.批評家はその映画のコメディを幼稚だと切り捨て、本物の機知ではなく下品なジョークに頼っていると評した。비평가는 그 영화의 코미디를 유치하다고 일축하며, 진정한 재치가 아닌 저속한 농담에 의존하고 있다고 평했다.
- His sophomoric attempts to impress the interviewer with half-understood references to Wittgenstein backfired spectacularly. 他试图用对维特根斯坦一知半解的引用来打动面试官,结果适得其反。Sus sophomóricos intentos de impresionar al entrevistador con referencias a medias sobre Wittgenstein le salieron espectacularmente mal.ヴィトゲンシュタインを生半可に引用して面接官を感心させようとする彼の浅はかな試みは、見事に裏目に出た。비트겐슈타인에 대한 얕은 이해만으로 면접관을 감동시키려는 그의 어설픈 시도는 완벽하게 역효과를 냈다.
- The debate descended into sophomoric point-scoring that contributed nothing to the audience's understanding of the issue. 辩论沦为幼稚的互相挑刺,对听众理解这个问题毫无帮助。El debate degeneró en un intercambio sophomórico de pullas que no aportó nada a la comprensión del público sobre el asunto.討論は、聴衆の問題理解に何も貢献しない幼稚な揚げ足取りに堕した。토론은 청중의 쟁점 이해에 아무런 기여도 하지 못하는 유치한 점수 따기로 전락했다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: literary, academic, journalism
Tone: disapproving
Origin & History
From 'sophomore' (a second-year student), likely from Greek sophos (wise) and moros (foolish, dull) — literally 'a wise fool.' The adjective emerged in American English in the early 19th century.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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