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underage

underage

83 3.4
Not legally old enough to do things like drink alcohol
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌndərˈeɪdʒ/
translation icon : menor de edad
  • Underage drinking: why do adolescents drink, what are the risks, and how can underage drinking be prevented?
  • underage drinking
  • underage sex
  • underage girls

Dyncorp was actually trafficking girls, underage girls in the Balkans.

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Examples

  • It's illegal for underage youth to vote in the upcoming election.

  • We keep getting complaints of noise and underage drinking.

  • And yeah, definitely underage to drink.

  • There better not be any underage drinking going on here.

  • Are you telling me that there is nothing you can do for my underage sister?

  • So, do you have any idea where your underage daughter is and when she is coming back?

  • Yes, I know I am underage, but as I said, I was trying to be polite.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I bet I'm going to get in trouble for being underage and, and having this, this alcohol with me.

  • Jimmy, who was also underage, ordered a Scotch and water, which he scarcely touched.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • You see, the new ownership of this establishment doesn't condone underage drinking.

Synonyms

minor
vsunderage
73 2.1

Not yet an adult according to the law

is the standard legal label for the same status
nonaged
vsunderage
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who is younger than the legal age to be an adult

is the standard legal label rather than this variant

Antonyms

111 2.6

Old enough to meet a required number of years, often to be legally an adult

How Old

elderly
68 2.0
adult
1.0
underage
83 3.4
young
1.0

Surface Forms

underage positive

Morphology

underage = age (transparent) = under + age

The meaning is directly derived from 'under' + 'age' to indicate being below the required/legal age.

Etymology

The word underage is made of under ('below') and age ('how old someone is' or 'years'), so it literally means being 'below the required age'. That's why underage describes someone not old enough by law to do things like drink or vote.