juvenile

[ joo-vuh-nl, -nahyl ]

/ ˈdʒu və nl, -ˌnaɪl /

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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 in the stage when it has fledged, if altricial, or has replaced down of hatching, if precocial.

a two-year-old racehorse.

Nearby words

juvarra, filippo, juvenal, juvenal plumage, juvenescence, juvenescent, juvenile, juvenile cataract, juvenile cell, juvenile court, juvenile delinquency, juvenile delinquent

Origin of juvenile

1615–25; < Latin juvenīlis youthful, equivalent to juven(is) youthful + -īlis -ile

SYNONYMS FOR juvenile

1 See young.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR juvenile ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

un·ju·ve·nile·ness, noun

Can be confusedjejune juvenile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for juvenile

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
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
It also traces his days as a juvenile delinquent, and gradual rise up the R&B charts.
‘Get On Up’ Star Chadwick Boseman on Becoming James Brown—With A Little Help From Mick Jagger|Marlow Stern|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Over the past few years, activist groups have raised money to spare the lives of juvenile offenders who are unable to pay the fee.
Iran to Hang Abused Child Bride|Nina Strochlic|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet the "Tigers" purposed to make the place the talk of the juvenile population and they turned to their captain for advice.
A Son of the City|Herman Gastrell Seely
But now for the juvenile but audacious Portland, who describes herself as "the commercial metropolis of the Northwest."
Two Years in Oregon|Wallis Nash
One juvenile was carried by wind over the river where it dropped into the water.
Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska|James W. Bee
He talked pretty continuously during these drives, and he by no means restricted his subjects to juvenile matters.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine
It should be approached with respect, and not merely introduced as a juvenile appendix to Madame (p. 103) Tussaud's!
Highways and Byways in London|Mrs. E. T. Cook.

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 Formsjuvenilely, 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

Word Origin and History for juvenile

juvenile

adj.

1620s, from Latin iuvenilis "of or belonging to youth," from iuvenis "young person," originally "young" (cf. French jeune; see young). Juvenile delinquency first recorded 1816; Juvenile delinquent the following year.

juvenile

adjective

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of juvenile

Examples from the Web for juvenile

British Dictionary definitions for juvenile

juvenile

adjective

noun

Word Origin for juvenile

Word Origin and History for juvenile

juvenile