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
Ethan Stone, USA Today, 18 May 2026
That the overall performances feel so naturally alive and attuned to the language of adolescents also has a lot to do with the improvisation involved in the work of the young non-actors Rivilis spotted in New Mexico.
—Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
Katharine Silbaugh, STAT, 19 May 2026
The film follows Dudley, an adolescent frog desperate to break free from the iron grip of his father Arthur, the mayor of frog town.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 May 2026
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
The landscape of post-secondary and next-stage education currently facing adolescents and their parents likely differs significantly from the patterns seen five or ten years ago.
—Ethan Stone, USA Today, 18 May 2026
That the overall performances feel so naturally alive and attuned to the language of adolescents also has a lot to do with the improvisation involved in the work of the young non-actors Rivilis spotted in New Mexico.
—Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
Adjective
Without adolescent uptake, tobacco cannot find new users.
—Katharine Silbaugh, STAT, 19 May 2026
The film follows Dudley, an adolescent frog desperate to break free from the iron grip of his father Arthur, the mayor of frog town.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Cite this Entry
“Adolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adolescent. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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
