juvenile
Syllables: ju·ven·ile/ˈd͡ʒuːvənaɪl/US/ˈd͡ʒuvəˌnaɪl/
juvenile adjective: young; not fully developed.
Adjective
juvenile (comparative more juvenile, superlative most juvenile)
- Young; not fully developed.
- There are certain Climates, where the Mind ripens and attains ſooner to Perfection than in others: nay there are ſome Conſtitutions of Body, where the humours are ſo exactly mixt, that they form an admirable Temper; the Effects thereof are diſcoverable in the firſt Juvenile Years, and leave very...[1716], [Abraham] de Wicquefort, “What Age is Proper for an Embassador”, in [John] Digby, transl., The Embassador and His Functions. […], London: Printed for Bernard Lintott, […], →OCLC, page 54...
- We should then be able to count on the labours of fifty thousand juvenile home missionaries, and the next generation would be able to speak from a happier experience than we, of "times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord."—From the Canada Sunday School Record.1845 November, “How Boys and Girls may be Missionaries”, in The Juvenile Missionary Herald, volume III, London: Printed for and published by the Baptist Missionary Society, and sold by Houlston and...
- Characteristic of youth or immaturity; childish.
- Adde to this diſsipated and diſtracted ſtate of Miniſters, their private diſtreſſes and poverties, together with the publick neglect and indifferency of people toward them; who can wonder if they look pitifully one on another, which no jocoſe or juvenile drolings can relieve?1659, John Gauden, chapter XXXI, in Ίερα Δακρυα [Hiera dakrya]. Ecclesiae Anglicanae Suspiria. The Tears, Sighs, Complaints, and Prayers of the Church of England: […], London: Printed by J[ohn]...
- This is illuſtrated by a variety of examples; particularly by the attachment which we naturally form to inanimate objects; and by the pleaſure derived from hiſtoric ſcenes, from painting, and from the review of juvenile days.1792 June, “Art. I. The Pleasures of Memory, a Poem, in Two Parts, by the Author of ‘An Ode to Superstition, with Some Other Poems.’ 4to. pp. 71. 3s. 6d. Boards. Cadell. 1792. [book review]”, in The...
Noun
juvenile (plural juveniles)
- A prepubescent child.
- One patient, a pedophile with a long history of arrests, penal incarceration, psychiatric admissions, and outpatient psychotherapy, commented that in the past when he saw a juvenile male playing, he (the patient) would without hesitation approach the boy and make a sexual proposition. When he was...1978, Paul A[llen] Walker, “The Role of Antiandrogens in the Treatment of Sex Offenders”, in C. Brandon Qualls, John P. Wincze, David H. Barlow, editors, The Prevention of Sexual Disorders: Issues...
- A person younger than the age of majority; a minor.
- Every childhood seems to have exactly such a juvenile in its midst and mists. He's the boy who refuses to fear the opposite sex, purely because everyone else embraces that particular fear, and he's the type who is unafraid to make a decision.2005, Markus Zusak, “The Kiss (a Childhood Decision Maker)”, in The Book Thief, Sydney, N.S.W.: Picador, →ISBN; republished New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013, →ISBN, page 49
- A person younger than the age of full criminal responsibility, such that the person either cannot be held criminally liable or is subject to less severe forms of punishment.
- If the juvenile violates the conditions of the stayed sentence, typically by committing a new offense, the court may revoke the stay and require that the offender be taken into custody. The juvenile is then given written notice of the reasons for the revocation of the stayed sentence, and may have...2010, Richard Lawrence, Mario Hesse, “The Juvenile Court Process”, in Juvenile Justice: The Essentials, Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, →ISBN, page 192
- A publication for young adult readers.
- Formerly a publisher of juveniles, out of the market till 1959, when it will enter adult fiction field.1958, The Author and Journalist, volumes 42–43, Denver, Colo.: H. Ellithrope, →OCLC, page lxxxiv, column 1
- An actor playing a child's role.
- 'Home,' as, following his habit of giving monosyllable titles to his pieces, T[homas] W[illiam] Robertson christened his version of 'L'Aventurière,' has been revived. […] In a juvenile part, Mr. Lytton Sothern made a successful début.1875 February 6, “Drama. [Haymarket.]”, in The Athenæum: Journal of English and Foreign Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music and the Drama, number 2467, London: Printed by E[dward] J. Francis &...
- A sexually immature animal.
- Even if juveniles acquire sex-specific adult-like foraging skills before reaching adult size, their smaller body size may put them at a foraging disadvantage. […] The size effect on foraging is reduced in species that use small or easily manipulated substrates. For instance, in Costa Rican squirrel...2002, Charles H. Janson, Carel P[hilippus] Van Schaik, “Ecological Risk Aversion in Juvenile Primates: Slow and Steady Wins the Race”, in Michael E. Pereira, Lynn A. Fairbanks, editors, Juvenile...
- A two-year-old racehorse.
- Even more incredible is the legion of two-year-olds who win handsomely as juveniles and then disappear from the racetrack.1972, Edward Samuel Montgomery, The Thoroughbred, page 449
- Professional trainers foster young horses with obvious potential. Instance the way Sir Michael Stoute uses patience to bring along his two-year-old colts and fillies at Newmarket, or the careful approach taken with juveniles by that wonderful conditioner Charlie Whittingham in California.2005, Ken McLean, Designing Speed in the Racehorse, page 206
juvenile meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Telugu
juvenile in Tamil
- இளமையான, இளம், இளம் பருவத்தினர், இளவான், இளைஞர், பருவ முழுவளர்ச்சி அடைந்து கொண்டிருப்பவன
juvenile in Urdu
- بالک, کم سن, ناتجربہ کار, نوجوان, نوخیز, نوعمر
juvenile in Bengali
- তরূণ, তরূণী, অল্পবয়স্ক, তরূণদের সংক্রান্ত
juvenile in Telugu
- prepubescent child
- బాలుడు bāluḍu
More languagesFewer languages
- juvenile in Malayalam
- ചെറുപ്പമായ, യുവത്വമുള്ള, അപക്വമായ
- juvenile in Kannada
- ಕುಮಾರ, ಕುಮಾರಿ, ಯುವಕ, ಯುವತಿ
- juvenile in Persian
- جوان, درخور جوانی
Examples of juvenile in a sentence
- [T]he juvenile justice system became firmly established as the legitimate institution for responding to juvenile delinquency and misconduct during 1900 and 1960.1988, Edmund F. McGarrell, “Juvenile Justice in Change”, in Juvenile Correctional Reform: Two Decades of Policy and Procedural Change (SUNY...
- Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a form of rheumatoid arthritis that affects children under the age of 16[…].2005, Sidney Michael Trantham, “Diagnoses Commonly Associated with Childhood”, in Amy Wagenfeld, Jennifer Kaldenberg, editors, Foundations...
- He indicated that Cheong should follow his actions, but Cheong was little tempted and chose not to engage in such a juvenile scene.2013, Thomas Keneally, chapter 21, in Shame and the Captives, Sydney, N.S.W.: Random House Australia, →ISBN; trade paperback edition, New...
- If the juvenile violates the conditions of the stayed sentence, typically by committing a new offense, the court may revoke the stay and require that the offender be taken into custody.2010, Richard Lawrence, Mario Hesse, “The Juvenile Court Process”, in Juvenile Justice: The Essentials, Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE...
Synonyms of juvenile
Antonyms
Forms of juvenile
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more juvenile |
| superlative | most juvenile |
| Noun | |
| plural | juveniles |
Origin of juvenile
Borrowed from Latin iuvenīlis (“youthful; juvenile”), from iuvenis (“young; a youth”) + -īlis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a relationship or a pertaining to). Iuvenis is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuh₁en- (“young”), from *h₂óyu (“long life; lifetime”) (from *h₂ey- (“age; life”)) + *h₁én (“in”).
Words formed from juvenile
- antijuvenile
- juvenalia
- juvenile diabetes
- juvenile hormone
- juvenilely
- juvenileness
- juvenile water
- juvenilise
- juvenilize
- juvenilism
- juvenility
- juvenilization
- juvenoia
- juvenoid
- juvey
- nonjuvenile
- post-juvenile
- postjuvenile
- prejuvenile
- subjuvenile
- unjuvenile
- juvenile court
- juvenile delinquency
- juvenile delinquent
- juvenile detention center
- juvenile detention centre
- juvenile hall
- juvenile offending
- juvenile powder
- juvie
- juvy
- rejuvenile
Phrases with juvenile
Questions about juvenile
- What does juvenile mean?
- Juvenile means young; not fully developed.
- What is juvenile in Tamil?
- Juvenile in Tamil is இளமையான, இளம், இளம் பருவத்தினர். See Juvenile meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use juvenile in a sentence?
- [T]he juvenile justice system became firmly established as the legitimate institution for responding to juvenile delinquency and misconduct during 1900 and 1960.
- What part of speech is juvenile?
- Juvenile can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce juvenile?
- Juvenile is pronounced /ˈd͡ʒuːvənaɪl/ (UK).
Words near juvenile in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: juvenile (page history and authors); juvenile (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); juvenile (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); juvenile (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); juvenile (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); juvenile (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-juvenile.wav, en-au-juvenile.ogg.
Cite this entry: “juvenile.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/juvenile. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.