juvenilia
plural noun
ju·ve·nil·ia
ˌjü-və-ˈni-lē-ə 
1
: compositions produced in the artist's or author's youth
2
: artistic or literary compositions suited to or designed for the young
Examples of juvenilia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Despite the heavy central theme of chronic illness, there’s a delicious bawdiness to Will There Ever Be Another You, a vulgar juvenilia evoking graffiti-tag genitals or the ding dong ditch scene from Billy Madison.
—
Eric Olson
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
The décor is street-art juvenilia with a stoner twist and an adolescent raunchiness.
—Curbed, 28 Sep. 2022
But his juvenilia, much of which was originally circulated in underground journals, could do with some further snipping.
—Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 19 Nov. 2019
When Ready Player One protagonist Wade warps into an elaborate virtual world, his intellectually empty but encyclopedic knowledge of nostalgic juvenilia isn't just cool—it's needed to save the day.
—Ryan Smith, Chicago Reader, 8 Jan. 2018
Speaking to the Times, Sacks regretted his collegiate anti-gay screeds, but didn’t seem too concerned about the juvenilia directed at women, nor the status of his female co-eds, the majority of whom dropped out of the business.
—Nina Burleigh, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2015
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Eric Olson
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
The décor is street-art juvenilia with a stoner twist and an adolescent raunchiness.
—Curbed, 28 Sep. 2022
But his juvenilia, much of which was originally circulated in underground journals, could do with some further snipping.
—Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 19 Nov. 2019
When Ready Player One protagonist Wade warps into an elaborate virtual world, his intellectually empty but encyclopedic knowledge of nostalgic juvenilia isn't just cool—it's needed to save the day.
—Ryan Smith, Chicago Reader, 8 Jan. 2018
Speaking to the Times, Sacks regretted his collegiate anti-gay screeds, but didn’t seem too concerned about the juvenilia directed at women, nor the status of his female co-eds, the majority of whom dropped out of the business.
—Nina Burleigh, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Juvenilia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juvenilia. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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