nonage

/'nounidʤ/

Thân thiện

A young person in their nonage cannot sign a legal contract.

Definition

Noun: 1. The period of life when a person is not yet of legal age; minority: The state or condition of being under the age required by law for full legal rights and responsibilities. 2. A state of immaturity or lack of development: (Figurative) A period or condition of being undeveloped, inexperienced, or not fully formed.

Usage

• Nonage is a formal, often legal or literary term. It is the opposite of "majority" (the state of being of legal age).
• It is typically used in the singular form and is often found in the phrase "in one's nonage".
• The word can be used literally to refer to legal minority or figuratively to describe an early, undeveloped stage of anything.

Examples

• Literal (Legal):
  • The contract was void because it was signed during her nonage.
  • Guardians are appointed to manage the affairs of those in their nonage.
• Figurative:
  • The company, still in its nonage, focused on innovation rather than profit.
  • During the nonage of cinema, many technical challenges had to be overcome.

Advanced Usage

• "to be in/ during one's nonage": To be in the period of legal minority.
  • The estate was held in trust for him while he was in his nonage.
• Used attributively (like an adjective):
  • His nonage years were spent traveling with his family.

Variants and Related Words

• Minority (noun): The more common synonym for the state of being under the legal age of majority.
• Infancy (noun): Legally, can also refer to the period of early childhood; more broadly, a very early stage of development.
• Juvenility (noun): The state of being young or immature.

Synonyms

• Minority
• Immaturity
• Childhood
• Youth

Antonyms

• Majority
• Adulthood
• Maturity

Học thuật

Noun

1. any age prior to the legal age

Từ đồng nghĩa

• minority