juvenile 1 of 2

adjective

ˈjü-və-ˌnī(-ə)l How to pronounce juvenile (audio)
Definition of juvenilenext
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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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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3
as in adolescent
lacking in adult experience or maturity a spoiled, juvenile golfer who does not know how to win gracefully

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juvenile

2 of 2

noun

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of juvenile
Adjective
One key theory is neoteny, where domestication selects for juvenile traits like kneading, making cats more tolerant of humans. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Marietta police ultimately arrested three teenagers, including one who was a runaway who was reunited with his family after the squatting incident but has now been arrested and faces juvenile charges. — Andre Butso, AJC.com, 9 July 2026
Noun
Joel Currier, 22nd Judicial Circuit chief communications officer, identified the 7-month-old as the juvenile's niece in a statement shared with PEOPLE. — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 Nearly all scalloped hammerheads were juveniles and none had reached maturity. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for juvenile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for juvenile
  1. young
  2. childish
  3. adolescent
  4. kid
  5. immature
  6. inexperienced
  7. child
Adjective
  • Be vigilant about never leaving young children and pets in vehicles without supervision, especially during periods of intense heat, as car interiors can quickly become extremely hot.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
  • Hundreds of people, mostly young, gathered in Kyiv Thursday to protest Fedorov’s departure.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Definition of young
Adjective
  • The portrait of Musk that emerges here is that of a childish, terminally online man who desires to eliminate the messiness of contemporary life for a more rigid order.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • Their ideas about it were often steeped in stereotypes suggesting that Buddhists were irrational and childish in their thinking.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 July 2026
Definition of childish
Adjective
  • Takeovers are at once a timeless illustration of the volatility of crowds—perhaps especially adolescent crowds—and of the much newer potentialities unleashed by the internet a few decades ago.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
  • Another practice involved staff stuffing insects, herbs and different scents into the leaves of lettuce heads, offering the adolescent skunks another challenge that would put their developing foraging skills to the test.
    — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
Definition of adolescent
Noun
  • The politician started the team as a positive force for school-age kids, to keep kids in school, off drugs and out of gangs through athletic acrobatic practice and performance.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • These two summer nutrition programs work in concert to provide a solution to the long-standing challenge of summer hunger for kids.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 July 2026
Definition of kid
Adjective
  • The majority of the pest detections have been of immature life stages of the insect such as egg masses.
    — Lizzie Kane July 9, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
  • From the first whistle, the Americans looked too clumsy, disconnected and immature to compete for the World Cup quarterfinals berth.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
Definition of immature
Adjective
  • After striking up conversation about their individual side projects, Kern lent his app’s base server to an inexperienced Coffee.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026
  • In Shipwrecked, crew members suggest that Schettino was a relatively new and inexperienced captain.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026
Definition of inexperienced
Noun
  • Under the law, their children were deemed to be citizens at birth.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • Two adults and a child were injured by falling debris in Qatar as the country defended against Iranian attacks, its Ministry of Interior said Sunday.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 12 July 2026
Definition of child

Phrases Containing juvenile

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juvenescent
juvenile
juvenile delinquent
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Cite this Entry

“Juvenile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/juvenile. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of juvenile for Spanish Speakers

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