juvenile
juvenile Lexical Profile
juvenile Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to, characteristic of, or intended for young people who are not yet adults, especially in a legal or medical context.
"The county recently established a specialized program to rehabilitate first-time juvenile offenders."
Childish, silly, and immature in a way that is inappropriate for an adult or older person.
"Most of the audience walked out because they found the comedian's juvenile humor tedious and unoriginal."
Relating to a young bird, fish, or other animal that has not yet reached sexual maturity or acquired adult plumage.
"Juvenile bald eagles have mottled brown feathers and do not develop their distinctive white heads until about five years of age."
• noun
A young person who is below the legal age of adulthood, especially in law enforcement or judicial contexts.
"Under state law, the court records of a juvenile are generally sealed from public view."
A young animal, bird, fish, or plant that has not yet reached full reproductive maturity.
"Marine biologists tagged several juveniles in the shallow coastal nursery to track their migration into deeper waters."
Word Nuance & Usage
When describing an adult's behavior, 'juvenile' carries a distinctly pejorative connotation of childishness or immaturity, whereas in legal, medical, and biological contexts, it is a strictly neutral technical term.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from Latin 'juvenilis' (youthful), derived from 'juvenis' (young person), sharing an Indo-European root with the English word 'young'.