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
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
Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2025
State police made a safety plan with the victim, who told troopers her juvenile daughter was in the home but had slept through everything that had happened.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 23 July 2025
Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 8 July 2025
Two adults and three juveniles were in the second vehicle.
—Kansas City Star, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for juvenile
Adjective
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that five juvenile suspects were walking around a neighborhood in Riverview, Florida, when two of them approached a house.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2025
State police made a safety plan with the victim, who told troopers her juvenile daughter was in the home but had slept through everything that had happened.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 23 July 2025
Noun
City officials credited the curfew enforcement in part for a 7% decrease in summer juvenile arrests from 2023 to 2024, according to News 12.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 8 July 2025
Two adults and three juveniles were in the second vehicle.
—Kansas City Star, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for juvenile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for juvenile
Adjective
-
Most of the new actors are terrific, either by leaning into the way their characters are younger and less self-assured than the originals, or by bringing definition to the sketchier and more obscure characters.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
15 July 2025
-
Princess Mako, a niece of Japan's Emperor Naruhito (and whose younger brother is the likely next ruler of Japan), married her longtime love, Kei Komuro, in a simple ceremony at a registry office on Oct. 26, 2021.—
Alex Apatoff,
People.com,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
The exchange ended with both men accusing the other of acting childish.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
-
Compiled from Candace Bushnell’s column of the same name from The New York Observer, the book is a dark and bizarre look at dating in 1990s New York, where men are pathologically childish, cruel, and self-centered, and women are domineering, striving, and manipulative.—
Alice Bolin
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Globally, obesity in adults has more than doubled since 1990, with adolescent rates quadrupling, the World Health Organization reported.—
Sara Chernikoff,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
-
Rates of obesity in adults have more than doubled globally since 1990, and adolescent rates have quadrupled, according to the World Health Organization.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
How many kids can one person chaperone at the Indiana State Fair?—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
24 July 2025
-
Byron is reportedly married and shares two kids with his wife, who is not Cabot.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
At the very worst, an immature 18-year-old makes a horrific decision on a whim to deface his or her torso with a tableau of repulsive images that could potentially cause medical complications later in life.—
Scott Liftman,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
-
The researchers showed how the interplay between a baby's rising sleep pressure and immature circadian rhythms can create seemingly erratic nap behavior that, in reality, follows a mathematically predictable pattern.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Central to his story is his birth on the dying planet Krypton and his arrival as an outsider to Kansas, and the creators of the comic, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, are children of European Jewish immigrants.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
That may involve preventing children from accessing the entire site or app, or only some parts or kinds of content.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Juvenile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/juvenile. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share