juvenile

[ joo-vuh-nl, -nahyl ]

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or suitable or intended for young persons:

   juvenile books.

2. young; youthful:

   juvenile years.

3. immature; childish; infantile:

   His juvenile tantrums are not in keeping with his age.

noun

1. a young person; youth.
2. Theater.
   1. a youthful male or female role.
   2. an actor or actress who plays such parts.
3. a book for children.
4. Ornithology. a young bird that has its first set of contur feathers.
5. a two-year-old racehorse.

juvenile

/ ˈdʒuːvɪˌnaɪl /

adjective

1. young, youthful, or immature
2. suitable or designed for young people

   juvenile pastimes

3. (of animals or plants) not yet fully mature
4. of or denoting young birds that have developed their first plumage of adult feathers
5. geology occurring at the earth's surface for the first time; new

   juvenile gases

   juvenile water

noun

1. a juvenile person, animal, or plant
2. an actor who performs youthful roles
3. a book intended for young readers

Derived Forms

• ˈjuveˌnileness, noun
• ˈjuveˌnilely, adverb

Other Words From

• juve·nile·ly adverb
• pre·juve·nile adjective
• un·juve·nile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of juvenile¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin juvenīlis “youthful,” equivalent to juven(is) “youthful” + -īlis adjective suffix; -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of juvenile¹

C17: from Latin juvenīlis youthful, from juvenis young

Synonym Study

See young.

Example Sentences

A car was indeed dispatched, with no mention that the suspect was possibly a juvenile and that the gun might be a toy.

From The Daily Beast

Officers were responding to a report of a missing juvenile girl, and found her in the house of Carey Smith-Viramontes.

From The Daily Beast

Sixty of those 700 are “juvenile lifers,” men who came in as adolescents and are serving a life term.

From The Daily Beast

I was also the front for a juvenile delinquent roaming the streets of New York City and using me as a parental alibi.

From The Daily Beast

When a 16-year-old takes on that wide-eyed, touched-for-the-very-first-time role, it all comes off as a tad more…juvenile.

From The Daily Beast

I travelled first-class on a pass with my father, and great was my juvenile pride.

From Project Gutenberg

Shakespeare was one of her favourite books at this time, and she took delight in juvenile attempts at personifying the characters.

From Project Gutenberg

She took more pleasure in her pupils literary efforts, and called him in fun the juvenile Poushkin.

From Project Gutenberg

Nothing can be more juvenile or paltry than the works of the native Belgians here exhibited.

From Project Gutenberg

Juvenile delinquency itself has been the subject of much research (especially in the United States) during the past fifty years.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• adolescent
• boy
• girl
• infant
• minor
• youngster
• youth