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

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

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

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
Adjective
He is being housed at a juvenile detention center pending extradition to Philadelphia. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 In 2023, 18-year-old Bryan Diaz died of a fentanyl overdose at the county’s other main juvenile hall in Sylmar. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Noun
Nearly all scalloped hammerheads were juveniles and none had reached maturity. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 In the second Honda Pilot, seven occupants, including six juveniles, had minor injuries, according to the crash report. — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 3 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
  • As adult influencers dominate online fashion culture, and tweens and teens see the same content as adults, there are fewer spaces for young people to develop styles of their own.
    — Sophie Lou Wilson, Vogue, 2 July 2026
  • While veterans jockey for new contracts during free agency, young players are getting their tryout opportunities with NBA summer league games beginning this week.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of young
Adjective
  • Of course, this is no tragedy — there comes a time to put away childish things, 40-something video-gamers notwithstanding — but the movie comes close to regarding it as such.
    — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 June 2026
  • This one has a charming clover shape to make your space feel animated, but not childish.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 12 June 2026
Definition of childish
Adjective
  • Additionally, occasional rule-breaking and defiance are considered a normal part of child and adolescent development.
    — Elizabeth Dowdell, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • Ultimately, this visible lump is a permanent record of a hormonal change, primarily designed to be heard, reflecting the body's adolescent effort to project a larger presence.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of adolescent
Noun
  • Neither bride nor groom have kids from previous relationships out of wedlock.
    — Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • Jake’s analysis found that the UK’s intervention may run all summer, with media plurality issues around news plus kids’ channels portfolios in the spotlight.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 3 July 2026
Definition of kid
Adjective
  • In practice, portions of the automation framework still feel slightly immature.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 29 June 2026
  • These are the immature stages of small brown moths.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2026
Definition of immature
Adjective
  • Over the same period, entry-level head count at the high-intensity firms rose 12%, contradicting predictions and fears that young or inexperienced workers would be most at risk of losing their jobs to AI.
    — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Immer and Lois work with land stewards to find projects that make sense for eager but often inexperienced volunteers.
    — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of inexperienced
Noun
  • Harry's decision comes amid an ongoing security fiasco concerning the safety of Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 5 July 2026
  • Would her child be buried in a separate part of the cemetery without the appropriate eulogies?
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of child

Phrases Containing juvenile

Browse Nearby Words

juvenescent
juvenile
juvenile delinquent
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Juvenile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/juvenile. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on juvenile

Nglish: Translation of juvenile for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All