preadolescence
noun
pre·ad·o·les·cence
ˌprē-ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊn(t)s 
: the period of human development just preceding adolescence
specifically
: the period between the approximate ages of 9 and 12
Examples of preadolescence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Like his early childhood in Omaha, Nebraska; his troubled preadolescence in Lansing, Michigan; and his immersion in street-corner politics in 1950s Harlem, Malcolm’s coming-of-age in Boston shaped his radicalism as profoundly as the Nation of Islam and his 1964 pilgrimage to Mecca did.
—
Kerri Greenidge, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2020
Instead, the rats concerned acted normally until given their preadolescence doses of THC.
—The Economist, 19 Oct. 2019
Yet there’s no better example of the genius of Big Mouth—a comedy that nails the sophomoric physical humor of preadolescence but whose hilarious portrait of puberty is really a mirror held up to adult sexuality—more than what follows.
—Judy Berman, Time, 4 Oct. 2019
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.
Kerri Greenidge, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2020
Instead, the rats concerned acted normally until given their preadolescence doses of THC.
—The Economist, 19 Oct. 2019
Yet there’s no better example of the genius of Big Mouth—a comedy that nails the sophomoric physical humor of preadolescence but whose hilarious portrait of puberty is really a mirror held up to adult sexuality—more than what follows.
—Judy Berman, Time, 4 Oct. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Preadolescence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preadolescence. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
preadolescence
noun
pre·ad·o·les·cence
-ˌad-ᵊl-ˈes-ᵊn(t)s
: the period of human development just preceding adolescence
specifically
: the period between the approximate ages of 9 and 12
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share