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
Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Earlier this summer, Prinstein and his colleagues at the APA put out a health advisory about AI and teens, urging AI companies to build guardrails for their platforms to protect adolescents.
—Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025
Her mother decided that her daughter’s lesbianism was only an adolescent phase.
—Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
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Noun
Children and adolescents consume pizza more frequently than adults, the USDA said.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Earlier this summer, Prinstein and his colleagues at the APA put out a health advisory about AI and teens, urging AI companies to build guardrails for their platforms to protect adolescents.
—Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The film tracks Chou’s navigation of adolescent relationships, including romantic disappointment and academic pressure, as external political events amplify personal upheavals.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025
Her mother decided that her daughter’s lesbianism was only an adolescent phase.
—Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 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 22 Sep. 2025.
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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