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.
Turns out, wind is necessary for the development of “reaction wood,” critical for strong, adult trunks after their juvenile years of environmental stress.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
When she wasn’t working, Robertson helped her husband manage complications from juvenile diabetes and a brain tumor — including kidney issues, the loss of vision in one eye and a compromised immune system.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026
"Maybe it was a juvenile dinosaur, or maybe it was a genuinely small one - one that was actually bucking the trend for the rest of the group as a smaller adult," explained Barrett.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
They’re the base of the aquatic food chain, fed on by herbivores of all shapes and sizes, including shrimp and juvenile fish, which in turn feed organisms higher up the food chain.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2026
He didn't have any juvenile criminal history—no prior arrests, no misconduct in school, no delinquencies or prior court appearances.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
