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
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
Alexander Tin, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025
In the 2010s, the developmental scientist Ron Dahl and Jennifer Silk, a University of Pittsburgh psychology professor, started wondering what went on inside adolescents’ brains when their parents nagged them.
—Jenny Anderson, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2025
Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
In this Jersey club and trap fusion, the 13-year-old tenderly sings about the thrill of an adolescent love.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Effectiveness was 32% for children and adolescents, from the CDC's U.S. Flu VE network of health care systems.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025
In the 2010s, the developmental scientist Ron Dahl and Jennifer Silk, a University of Pittsburgh psychology professor, started wondering what went on inside adolescents’ brains when their parents nagged them.
—Jenny Anderson, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Global, regional, and national prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity, 1990–2021, with forecasts to 2050: a forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
In this Jersey club and trap fusion, the 13-year-old tenderly sings about the thrill of an adolescent love.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Cite this Entry
“Adolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adolescent. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
adolescent
1 of 2 noun
ad·o·les·cent
-ᵊnt
: one that is in the state of adolescence
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share