juvenile

noun

A person younger than the age of majority; a minor.

A prepubescent child.

(criminal law) 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.

(zoology) A sexually immature animal.

(literature) A publication for young adult readers.

(theater) An actor playing a child's role.

A two-year-old racehorse.

adjective

Young; not fully developed.

Characteristic of youth or immaturity; childish.

Roots

iuvenisjuven- · Latin · young

Synonyms for juvenile

adolescentn juvenescentadj puerileadj youthn youthfuladj youngadj infantileadj teenagern immatureadj striplingn pubescentadj babyishadj

Synonyms & related words for juvenile

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of juvenile — including adolescent, juvenescent, puerile, youth, youthful, young. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to juvenile

Explore words related to juvenile — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include juvenilize, juvenility, youthen, jejune, preteen, teenage, juvenescence, teen. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for juvenile

Common synonyms for juvenile include adolescent, juvenescent, puerile, youth, youthful, young, infantile, teenager — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does juvenile come from?

The word juvenile breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root juven-, from Latin iuvenis (“young”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.