juvenile
Americanadjective
noun
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juveniles
plural
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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.
See Examples For:
Young stars begin with a juvenile, gas-rich protoplanetary disk where forming planets can reside.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Under long-standing legal principles, a juvenile who is sentenced to murder can ask for their minimum term to be reconsidered once they have served half of that time.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The passengers were taken into custody and to a juvenile hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
“We were literally broadcasting seed oysters over the side of our boats,” McKeen said, referring to the way they would distribute juvenile oysters across the river bottom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
But in fewer than ten years, California’s juvenile facilities went from being some of the worst in the nation to some of the best.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
"Orcas often tear apart prey and share it with other members of the group, including calves and juveniles," said Ayres.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
"Orcas often tear apart prey and share it with other members of the group, including calves and juveniles."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The juveniles usually leave between August and September, travelling to west Africa where they remain for a few years, before returning to Dorset when they are ready to breed.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Soon, he said, three pursuing New York State Police troopers emerged from the tree line and arrested seven juveniles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
In California, three-quarters of those juveniles are transferred by prosecutors using the discretion given to them by Proposition 21.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.
