1
as in young
being in the early stage of life, growth, or development
a juvenile alligator just hatched from its egg
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in childish
having or showing the annoying qualities (as silliness) associated with children
throwing a tantrum is rather juvenile behavior for a person of your age
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in adolescent
lacking in adult experience or maturity
a spoiled, juvenile golfer who does not know how to win gracefully
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in kid
a young person who is between infancy and adulthood
a medical study that followed juveniles through adolescence and into adulthood
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of juvenile
Callum Sutherland, Time, 11 June 2025
When bullfrogs were removed from the other two ponds in 2019, researchers found juvenile pond turtles in them for the first time, the study said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2025
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
While hundreds of thousands of children and juveniles are reported missing each year, analysis by Reuters suggests that the vast majority (more than 95 percent) are found relatively quickly after running away.
—Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for juvenile
Adjective
The boys appeared via videolink from a juvenile center, and confirmed their names and ages via a Romanian translator.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 11 June 2025
When bullfrogs were removed from the other two ponds in 2019, researchers found juvenile pond turtles in them for the first time, the study said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2025
Noun
Two adults and a juvenile were arrested following a chaotic street takeover involving a large group of dirt bike and ATV riders on the Connecticut shoreline where one officer was struck and another had to jump out of the way to avoid a collision, police said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
While hundreds of thousands of children and juveniles are reported missing each year, analysis by Reuters suggests that the vast majority (more than 95 percent) are found relatively quickly after running away.
—Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for juvenile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for juvenile
Adjective
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The core group of young professionals, both men and women aged 25-35, is joined by the next gen category of those age 18-24, now about a quarter of the business.—
Tim Newcomb,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Los Angeles is getting a young piece that could improve quite a bit over the next two years.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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His comment about Shildt mad dogging him was childish and hilarious.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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But their tit for tat antics on social media have come across as particularly childish given their immense wealth and responsibilities.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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Injury and burnout were adult problems, far from my adolescent horizon.—
Ellen O'Connell Whittet
June 25,
Literary Hub,
25 June 2025
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Katie Hurley, a child and adolescent psychotherapist and senior clinical advisor for The Jed Foundation, encourages parents to read the labels of any supplements or protein powders their sons are currently using or interested in trying.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
24 June 2025
Noun
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This is especially good for those staple items kids are always using – notebooks, binders, folders, colored pencils, pens and more.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
12 July 2025
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Does a person with this much contempt for texts by day insist on reading aloud to his kids at night?—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Insecure endpoints, poor management and generally immature cybersecurity practices created an ecosystem ripe with exploitable gaps.—
Thomas Ryd,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Moment Makers Group All cycles involved fresh oocytes (immature eggs found in the ovaries) from young donors (average age 26.1), frozen sperm from male partners and a single blastocyst embryo transfer.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
Noun
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France has issued a restrictive outdoor smoking ban, including at public parks, swimming pools, beaches, or anywhere children may be present, to ensure their protection.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
1 July 2025
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The study, conducted by researchers from Brazil, Mozambique, and Spain, forecasted that the defunding of the agency could lead to some 14 million deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million deaths of children and babies under the age of 5.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Juvenile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/juvenile. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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