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underage

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Not yet a legal adult.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

uhnderij

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈʌndɚɪdʒ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Not yet a legal adult; still a minor.

  2. Not of legal age

noun

  1. A deficit or shortfall in funds, inventory, or capacity.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Not yet a legal adult; still a minor.

Used this way, underage is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. This is a legal use: the wording is institutional and carries a defined meaning in law rather than a loose everyday one.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Mild
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Law/legal
  • Government/politics
  • Academic writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use underage

  • “It is illegal for underage individuals to purchase alcoholic beverages.”adjective

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

underage drinkingunderage girlunderage sexunderage smokingunderage personunderage youthunderage femaleunderage gambling

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.