a young person, not fully developed
"The juvenile court was set up to handle cases involving young offenders who had not yet reached adulthood."
A prepubescent child.
"The juvenile parkour instructor was teaching a group of energetic kids how to climb safely on the low walls."
In plain English: A juvenile is a young person who has not yet reached adulthood.
"The juvenile was sent to a rehabilitation center after stealing from the store."
Usage: Use "juvenile" as a noun to refer specifically to a young person who has not yet reached puberty or full maturity. In casual conversation, it often carries a slightly formal or clinical tone compared to simpler terms like "child."
of or relating to or characteristic of or appropriate for children or young people
"juvenile diabetes"
"juvenile fashions"
displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
"adolescent insecurity"
"jejune responses to our problems"
"their behavior was juvenile"
"puerile jokes"
Young; not fully developed.
"The juvenile deer stood nervously near its mother, clearly not yet ready to run fast enough to escape predators."
In plain English: Juvenile means something that is young, immature, or related to children and teenagers.
"The juvenile offender was sent to a special rehabilitation program."
Usage: Use juvenile as an adjective to describe something or someone that is young and immature, such as juvenile delinquents or juvenile hormones. Avoid using it to refer to adult behavior unless specifically highlighting a lack of maturity.
The word juvenile comes from the Latin iuvenis, which originally meant "a youth." It entered English to describe anything related to young people.