SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

juvenilia

plural noun ju·ve·nil·ia \ ˌjü-və-ˈni-lē-ə \

Definition of juvenilia

1 : compositions produced in the artist's or author's youth

2 : artistic or literary compositions suited to or designed for the young

Recent Examples of juvenilia from the Web

Speaking to the Times, Sacks regretted his collegiate anti-gay screeds, but didn’t seem too concerned about the juvenilia directed at women, nor the status of his female co-eds, the majority of whom dropped out of the business.

— nina burleigh, Newsweek, "What Silicon Valley Thinks of Women," 28 Jan. 2015
When Ready Player One protagonist Wade warps into an elaborate virtual world, his intellectually empty but encyclopedic knowledge of nostalgic juvenilia isn't just cool—it's needed to save the day.

— ryan smith, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Small Screen / The Internet By villainizing nerdy fanboys, Black Mirror's Star Trek parody goes where no show has gone before," 8 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'juvenilia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of juvenilia

Latin, neuter plural of juvenilis

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1622

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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