1
as in young
being in the early stage of life, growth, or development
a juvenile alligator just hatched from its egg
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 4 June 2026
Dull says that the redesign will eliminate eddies inside the dam, increasing efficiency and saving the lives of juvenile salmon who might get stuck inside.
—D. Hunter Reardon, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Doug Lantz, ABC News, 27 May 2026
Both adults and the three female juveniles were charged with second-degree breach of peace, according to Allard.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for juvenile
Adjective
If they are not connected with an adult, youth will be sent to the juvenile detention center.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 4 June 2026
Dull says that the redesign will eliminate eddies inside the dam, increasing efficiency and saving the lives of juvenile salmon who might get stuck inside.
—D. Hunter Reardon, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Noun
In February, after the teen was charged as a juvenile, the 16-year-old was permitted to live with his uncle instead of being held in custody.
—Doug Lantz, ABC News, 27 May 2026
Both adults and the three female juveniles were charged with second-degree breach of peace, according to Allard.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for juvenile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for juvenile
Adjective
-
The Spurs missed more production from De'Aaron Fox, who turned in an unremarkable performance (seven points), leaving San Antonio to lean heavily on its young core.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
Around the same time, Mark and Jacob Iskander, 11 and 8, were with their mother and younger sibling approaching a crosswalk at Triunfo Canyon Road.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Giant, a play about Dahl running on Broadway through June, is anything but childish.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
-
Garrincha was characterised as childish and moronic in psychological tests commissioned by the Brazilian federation before that tournament in Sweden and was then left out of their first two games.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
This ideal of masculinity is not a patriarch but a perpetual adolescent, endlessly irresponsible and endlessly indulged.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
-
The diary became a map of adolescent rivalry.—
Kate Casey,
Vanity Fair,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
School kids arrived on field trips and groups lined up for exhibitions, taking the escalators up past the abstract artist Julie Mehretu’s vibrant, 83-foot-tall vertical window.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
Bell-to-bell phone bans are among the strategies proposed in a new Surgeon General's advisory warning of the threat excessive screen time can pose to kids.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
On a blind date, his descriptions of magical griffins and burning deserts sound humiliatingly immature.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Beckham is charismatic and generally more thoughtful than the perception created by the impulsive or immature decisions that create headlines.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The team overachieved this season partly because Mazzulla turned an inexperienced supporting cast into a strength.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
Short selling can be an intellectually demanding approach to the market, and many inexperienced traders fall into a trap, lured by overvaluation and hype.—
David Capablanca,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Whether a minor or an adult, that child has lost a parent and has a right to mourn and needs the mother to be there.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
More strikes were reported in southern Lebanon earlier today, with the country’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reporting that civil defense teams recovered the bodies of four people, including children, after an airstrike hit a residential house in the town of Adloun.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Juvenile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/juvenile. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
