Search results
See all examples of juvenile. These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
a juvenile alligator just hatched from its egg Noun She works to keep juveniles away from drugs. a medical study that followed juveniles through adolescence and into adulthood
1. countable noun. A juvenile is a child or young person who is not yet old enough to be regarded as an adult. [formal] The number of juveniles in the general population has fallen by a fifth in the past 10 years.
While the noun juvenile refers to someone not physically or emotionally mature, the word is often used as an adjective to refer to anything specifically for young people, such as juvenile reading materials or movies. It can be derisive, as in "Don't act so juvenile ," suggesting a silliness unbecoming an adult.
A baby is generally a year old or younger and a preschooler is no more than 5-years-old, while an adolescent or a teenager is often aged 13 to 19. A juvenile, however, can describe any of these ages. The word juvenile is often used when discussing children who break the law.
juvenile-hall. Juvenile definition: Characteristic of, intended for, or appropriate for children or young people.
juvenile (noun) juvenile delinquent (noun) 1 juvenile / ˈ ʤuːvəˌnajəl/ adjective. Britannica Dictionary definition of JUVENILE. 1. [more juvenile; most juvenile] disapproving : unpleasantly childish : immature. She criticized his juvenile behavior at the party. juvenile pranks.
