juvenile
Americanadjective
noun
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a young person; youth.
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Theater.
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a youthful male or female role.
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an actor or actress who plays such parts.
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a book for children.
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Ornithology. a young bird that has its first set of contur feathers.
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a two-year-old racehorse.
adjective
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young, youthful, or immature
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suitable or designed for young people
juvenile pastimes
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(of animals or plants) not yet fully mature
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of or denoting young birds that have developed their first plumage of adult feathers
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geology occurring at the earth's surface for the first time; new
juvenile water
juvenile gases
noun
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a juvenile person, animal, or plant
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an actor who performs youthful roles
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a book intended for young readers
Usage
What does juvenile mean? Juvenile describes something that is related to youth or young people. Generally, juvenile is used to describe something that has to do with children, as in Sam folded the juvenile clothing before he folded the baby clothing. Juvenile can also describe something that is related to youth or being young, as in Now in her 80s, Hannah looked back fondly on her juvenile years. Juvenile can also be used to describe something that is related to youth in a negative way, such as being immature or naive, as in Drawing on the walls is juvenile behavior that most parents won’t tolerate. As a noun, juvenile is a young person, as in The lost driver got directions from the friendly juvenile on the corner. Jejune is a synonym for juvenile in the sense of something childish or immature. But jejune can also describe something that is bland or uninspiring, as in He wrote a jejune story about making eggs for breakfast. Example: The author wrote juvenile fiction that was incredibly popular with the country’s children.
Synonym Usage
See young.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of juvenile
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin juvenīlis “youthful,” equivalent to juven(is) “youthful” + -īlis adjective suffix; see -ile
Explanation
If you're being juvenile, you're not acting your age. Unless of course you are a juvenile. In which case, carry on. While the noun juvenile refers to someone not physically or emotionally mature, the word is often used as an adjective to refer to anything specifically for young people, such as juvenile reading materials or movies. It can be derisive, as in "Don't act so juvenile," suggesting a silliness unbecoming an adult. The word comes from the Latin juvenīlis, meaning "youthful" — similar, but much more flattering.
Vocabulary lists containing juvenile
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Guided by that principle, one of us helped launch an effort within Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services to examine its history, including its segregationist past.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
At a Juvenile Court hearing this week in East Lost Angeles, sheriff’s deputies led shackled defendants into a courtroom reserved for youths accused of serious crimes.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
Three of the top four finishers from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies make up three-quarters of the short field in Sunday’s featured Las Virgenes Stakes.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2026
Daily Racing Form reported trainer Vladimir Cerin’s Mr. A.P., runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, will be out of training until March.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2025
After we met Kay Hanlon, we went up one floor in the Juvenile Court building to talk to the four attorneys from the Juvenile Public Defender’s office representing Johnny, the ten-year-old defendant.
From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
