Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

juvenile

/ˈd͡ʒuvəˌnaɪl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.88 in modern English

Syllables
ju-ven-ile
IPA
/ˈd͡ʒuvəˌnaɪl/
18
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Young; not fully developed.

noun

An actor playing a child's role.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin iuvenīlis (“youthful; juvenile”), from iuvenis (“young; a youth”) + -īlis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a relationship or a pertaining to). Iuvenis is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuh₁en- (“young”), from *h₂óyu (“long life; lifetime”) (from *h₂ey- (“age; life”)) + *h₁én (“in”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₂ey-, iuvenīlis, *h₂yuh₁en-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈd͡ʒuvəˌnaɪl/
  • British English: /ˈd͡ʒuːvənaɪl/

Inflected Forms

more juvenile (comparative) most juvenile (superlative) juveniles (plural)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce juvenile?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒuvəˌnaɪl/.
What does juvenile mean?
Young; not fully developed.
Where does juvenile come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce juvenile

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “juvenile”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈd͡ʒuvəˌnaɪl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “juvenile”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “juvenile” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.