as in boy
a male person who has not yet reached adulthood
the young boxer looked like a mere stripling next to his larger, more seasoned opponent
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Recent Examples of stripling
More important still, thrilling these ultra-cultured striplings means winning over mom and dad, too.
—
Devorah Lev-Tov, Robb Report, 25 June 2023
In Dunst’s hands, Antoinette is naturally happy, an excitable stripling full of life — the sort of protagonist you’d root for simply because the performer inhabiting her is so agreeable.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2021
Best-selling author Margaret George has just published a novel repackaging the Roman emperor Nero, whose name has evoked mayhem and recreational pyromania for the past 2,000 years, as a misunderstood stripling.
—Joe Queenan, WSJ, 5 May 2017
Devorah Lev-Tov, Robb Report, 25 June 2023
In Dunst’s hands, Antoinette is naturally happy, an excitable stripling full of life — the sort of protagonist you’d root for simply because the performer inhabiting her is so agreeable.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2021
Best-selling author Margaret George has just published a novel repackaging the Roman emperor Nero, whose name has evoked mayhem and recreational pyromania for the past 2,000 years, as a misunderstood stripling.
—Joe Queenan, WSJ, 5 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stripling
Noun
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As of Tuesday afternoon, Cannon remained listed as a boy’s basketball coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on the school’s roster.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
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The head coach for the defending City Section Open Division champion boys soccer team is Ian Kogan, whose daughter, Jordyn, is a top defender for the El Camino Real girls team.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Mescal, Keoghan, Quinn, and Dickinson are each headlining their own respective Beatles film, which will dive deep into the minds of the Liverpudlian lads who changed music forever.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
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Laborious yet lithe lads and lasses have loyally leapt to luminate the lexical labyrinths of logic locking the lucrative lotto, longing to lure the lavish luxury lying latently in local landmarks.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That kind of confidence from a teenager could easily have aged poorly.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
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In the book, Cathy is a teenager at the time of her death.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The goal is to engage kids in learning about history and civic engagement while putting them on a path to potentially work in the music industry, said the department’s Chief Academic Officer Irene Parisi.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
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Early life as a theater kid Van Der Beek, who was raised in Cheshire, Connecticut, started acting at 13 after suffering a concussion playing football that prevented him from playing for a year on doctor’s orders.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Choose the one that works best for your adolescent.—
Dr. Theresa T. Nguyen,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
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Driscoll’s workbook on mental health care for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes also walks through various strategies, including communication and problem-solving skills.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stripling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stripling. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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