ad·o·les·cent
ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊnt 
: a young person who is developing into an adult : one who is in the state of adolescence
1
: of, relating to, or being in adolescence
adolescent growth
adolescent boys and girls
2
: emotionally or intellectually immature
did not appreciate her husband's adolescent high jinks
adolescently
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of adolescent in a Sentence
Noun
Their children are now adolescents.
Adjective
an adolescent sheepdog, who hasn't quite gotten the hang of keeping the sheep huddled together
would hope that the college students had outgrown such adolescent behavior
Recent Examples on the Web
Lucas Villa, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
Around 2022, about 5,000 adolescents and children were referred to the NHS' gender services.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Treatment guidelines tend to be based on case studies of adolescents and middle-age adults.
—Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Typically, meningitis infections strike babies or adolescents and young adults.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
However, transgender adolescents have been using blockers for three decades, Wilson said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
The suicide rate rose 48 percent for adolescents ages 10 to 19.
—Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024
But the rates at which adolescents pleaded or were found guilty varied widely, according to the Times/BDN analysis.
—Callie Ferguson Ashley L. Conti, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Indeed, teen-labor participation has been dropping for decades, driven in part by adolescents turning instead to academic pursuits and internships.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2024
The Editors, National Review, 15 Apr. 2024
His parents were unusually permissive, but, when an adolescent Clark started building an ultralight in his garage, his mother set the parts on fire.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The lawsuit further alleges that the apps replaced the intimacy of adolescent friendships for children and have promoted disconnection and disassociation, resulting in mental and physical harm.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
These adults, who are basically co-opting the kiddies in order to do battle with you, are also providing an example of adolescent gamesmanship.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
England’s move is part of a broader shift in northern Europe, where health officials have been concerned by soaring demand for adolescent gender treatments in recent years.
—Azeen Ghorayshi, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Approximately 25% of adolescent males are worried about not appearing muscular enough, according to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
—Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Conflict between parents and their adolescent children is normal, if not expected.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
Ascencio's adolescent granddaughter witnessed the murder, the sheriff's office added.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
Noun
Mexico is a country with a high suicide rate among adolescents and adults.
—Lucas Villa, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
Around 2022, about 5,000 adolescents and children were referred to the NHS' gender services.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Treatment guidelines tend to be based on case studies of adolescents and middle-age adults.
—Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Typically, meningitis infections strike babies or adolescents and young adults.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
However, transgender adolescents have been using blockers for three decades, Wilson said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
The suicide rate rose 48 percent for adolescents ages 10 to 19.
—Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024
But the rates at which adolescents pleaded or were found guilty varied widely, according to the Times/BDN analysis.
—Callie Ferguson Ashley L. Conti, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Indeed, teen-labor participation has been dropping for decades, driven in part by adolescents turning instead to academic pursuits and internships.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2024
Adjective
At the same time, childhood gender dysphoria, once a condition primarily affecting small boys, began appearing in a new population in unprecedented numbers: adolescent females with no prior history of gender distress.
—The Editors, National Review, 15 Apr. 2024
His parents were unusually permissive, but, when an adolescent Clark started building an ultralight in his garage, his mother set the parts on fire.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The lawsuit further alleges that the apps replaced the intimacy of adolescent friendships for children and have promoted disconnection and disassociation, resulting in mental and physical harm.
—Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
These adults, who are basically co-opting the kiddies in order to do battle with you, are also providing an example of adolescent gamesmanship.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
England’s move is part of a broader shift in northern Europe, where health officials have been concerned by soaring demand for adolescent gender treatments in recent years.
—Azeen Ghorayshi, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Approximately 25% of adolescent males are worried about not appearing muscular enough, according to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
—Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Conflict between parents and their adolescent children is normal, if not expected.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
Ascencio's adolescent granddaughter witnessed the murder, the sheriff's office added.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adolescent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near adolescent
Cite this Entry
“Adolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adolescent. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
adolescent
1 of 2 noun
ad·o·les·cent
-ᵊnt
: one that is in the state of adolescence
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