juvenile

[ joo-vuh-nl, -nahyl ]

/ ˈdʒu və nl, -ˌnaɪl /

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See synonyms for juvenile on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

young; youthful: juvenile years.

immature; childish; infantile: His juvenile tantrums are not in keeping with his age.

noun

a young person; youth.

Theater.

a youthful male or female role.
an actor or actress who plays such parts.

a book for children.

Ornithology. a young bird that has its first set of contur feathers.

a two-year-old racehorse.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of juvenile

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

synonym study for juvenile

1. See young.

OTHER WORDS FROM juvenile

ju·ve·nile·ly, adverbpre·ju·ve·nile, adjectiveun·ju·ve·nile, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH juvenile

jejune, juvenile

Words nearby juvenile

Juvarra, Juvenal, juvenal plumage, juvenescence, juvenescent, juvenile, juvenile court, juvenile delinquency, juvenile delinquent, juvenile detention center, juvenile hormone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT JUVENILE

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.

Where does juvenile come from?

The first records of juvenile come from around 1615. It comes from the Latin juvenīlis, meaning “youthful.” Often, juvenile is used to mean something that is related to young people or reminds you of youth.

There are lots of words to describe children of various ages. A baby is generally a year old or younger and a preschooler is no more than 5-years-old, while an adolescent or a teenager is often aged 13 to 19. A juvenile, however, can describe any of these ages.

The word juvenile is often used when discussing children who break the law. A juvenile delinquent is a criminal who is a minor, usually younger than 18 years old. Minors are children who are tried in a juvenile court and are sentenced to a juvenile detention center.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to juvenile?

juvenilely (adverb)
juvenileness (noun)
prejuvenile (adjective)
unjuvenile (adjective)

What are some synonyms for juvenile?

What are some words that share a root or word element with juvenile?

What are some words that often get used in discussing juvenile?

What are some words juvenile may be commonly confused with?

jejune

How is juvenile used in real life?

Juvenile is used to refer to children or things related to children. The negative sense is especially common.

Hello to this sweet "little" lady Charlotte! This juvenile white shark measures in at 8.1 ft (2.47 m) and is pinging off of Wilmington, NC! She has travelled 133 miles (214 km) in the last 72 hours 😊🦈🙌 #WildlifeWednesday Happy Cinco de Mayo y'all pic.twitter.com/sa6m7vRSLO

— Great White Montauk (@SharkMontauk) May 5, 2021

My life was wild as a juvenile

— Dre (@dre_hefamous) November 7, 2020

Twitter. The home of some great things, shameless pick-ups and juvenile insults.

— Josh Stewart (@J0SHSTEWART) May 20, 2015

Try using juvenile!

Which of the following words is a synonym of juvenile?

A. mature
B. youthful
C. experienced
D. older

How to use juvenile in a sentence

After a juvenile manta ray coasted by, wings flapping, Sasso raised his arms in a mock touchdown celebration.
A Maui vacation in three acts|Alex Pulaski|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
At first, juvenile and young adult titles were a priority, Potash explains, followed by readers “seeking to comfort, educate, and delight themselves during their shelter-in-place periods.”
The top 10 business ebooks and audiobooks checked out from public libraries in 2020|Rachel King|December 30, 2020|Fortune
Without a standalone juvenile justice department, the state’s responsibilities are limited and scattered across the agency.
Judges Are Locking Up Children for Noncriminal Offenses Like Repeatedly Disobeying Their Parents and Skipping School|by Jodi S. Cohen and Duaa Eldeib|December 22, 2020|ProPublica
In May, Grendell sent Stacy Hartman’s two teenage sons to juvenile detention after they refused a court-ordered visit with their father.
The Family Court Judge Who Threatened a Mother With Contempt of Court for Getting Her Child a COVID-19 Test|by Marshall Allen, ProPublica, and Rachel Dissell for ProPublica|December 18, 2020|ProPublica

Rattray suspects that the turtles are likely returning to areas they identified during their juvenile “lost years” as good habitats with few predators and lots of food.
How Sea Turtles Find Their Way - Issue 94: Evolving|Jason G. Goldman|December 16, 2020|Nautilus
A car was indeed dispatched, with no mention that the suspect was possibly a juvenile and that the gun might be a toy.
The Cleveland Cops Who Fired 137 Shots and Cried Victim|Michael Daly|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Officers were responding to a report of a missing juvenile girl, and found her in the house of Carey Smith-Viramontes.
The 14 Teens Killed by Cops Since Michael Brown|Nina Strochlic|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sixty of those 700 are “juvenile lifers,” men who came in as adolescents and are serving a life term.
Here’s a Reform Even the Koch Brothers and George Soros Can Agree On|Tina Brown|November 10, 2014|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.
Where Cellphone Numbers Go to Die|Jon Methven|August 16, 2014|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.
Why 'The Giver' Movie Will Disappoint the Book's Fans|Kevin Fallon|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I travelled first-class on a pass with my father, and great was my juvenile pride.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Shakespeare was one of her favourite books at this time, and she took delight in juvenile attempts at personifying the characters.
The Childhood of Distinguished Women|Selina A. Bower
She took more pleasure in her pupils literary efforts, and called him in fun the juvenile Poushkin.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
Nothing can be more juvenile or paltry than the works of the native Belgians here exhibited.
Little Travels and Roadside Sketches|William Makepeace Thackeray
Juvenile delinquency itself has been the subject of much research (especially in the United States) during the past fifty years.
Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents|Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.

British Dictionary definitions for juvenile

juvenile

/ (ˈdʒuːvɪˌnaɪl) /

adjective

young, youthful, or immature

suitable or designed for young peoplejuvenile pastimes

(of animals or plants) not yet fully mature

of or denoting young birds that have developed their first plumage of adult feathers

geology occurring at the earth's surface for the first time; newjuvenile water; juvenile gases

noun

a juvenile person, animal, or plant

an actor who performs youthful roles

a book intended for young readers

Derived forms of juvenile

juvenilely, adverbjuvenileness, noun

Word Origin for juvenile

C17: from Latin juvenīlis youthful, from juvenis young

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

juvenile

Origin of juvenile

synonym study for juvenile

OTHER WORDS FROM juvenile

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH juvenile

Words nearby juvenile

MORE ABOUT JUVENILE

What does juvenile mean?

Where does juvenile come from?

Did you know … ?

How is juvenile used in real life?

Try using juvenile!

Words related to juvenile

How to use juvenile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for juvenile

Derived forms of juvenile

Word Origin for juvenile