Juvenility
“Juvenility” 首先指人的青少年时期或青春状态。在引申义中，它常带有贬义，指成年人表现出的、与其年龄不相称的幼稚、不成熟的行为或想法。
- “He maintained a surprising degree of juvenility even in his late sixties.” (即使在六十多岁时，他依然保持着惊人的年轻活力。)
- “I was annoyed by the juvenility of their practical jokes.” (他们那些幼稚的恶作剧让我很生气。)
- “The novel explores the transition from juvenility to the responsibilities of adulthood.” (这部小说探讨了从青少年时期到承担成年责任的转变。)
源自拉丁语 “juvenis”（年轻人）。它与 “juvenile”（青少年的）、“rejuvenate”（使年轻/焕发活力）词源相同。
- 词根:
juven-(年轻) - 后缀:
-ility(名词后缀，表示性质、状态或程度)
在法律上，“juvenility” 与刑事责任密切相关（如少年法庭 juvenile court）。在社会学中，研究者会探讨现代社会中“成年期延后”导致的长期幼稚化（extended juvenility）现象。
- 相关词汇: juvenile (形容词/名词), rejuvenate (动词)
联想 “Junior”（初级的，年轻的）。“Juvenility” 就是处于 “Junior” 状态的性质或时期。
“At the high school reunion, many former students were shocked by the continued juvenility of the class clown. While everyone else had grown into serious professionals, he was still making the same silly faces and telling the same immature jokes. It was as if he was trapped in a state of permanent juvenility, unable to move into the world of adults.” (在高中同学聚会上，许多以前的学生被班级小丑持续的幼稚行为震惊了。当其他人都成长为严肃的专业人士时，他还在做着同样愚蠢的鬼脸，讲着同样不成熟的笑话。就好像他被困在一种永久的幼稚状态中，无法进入成年人的世界。)