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
Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Beyond women’s rugby, this applies to any program aimed at supporting, without judgment, all female athletes, all LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults, all body types, and all those ready to better our world.
—Paige Perricone, The Denver Post, 7 Mar. 2025
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
Related: New 'Girl Goals' report shows uneven progress for adolescent girls.
—Maryanne Murray Buechner, Forbes, 12 Mar. 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
Older children, adolescents and adults should get at least one shot of the MMR vaccine, with two doses separated by at least 28 days, the CDC says.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Beyond women’s rugby, this applies to any program aimed at supporting, without judgment, all female athletes, all LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults, all body types, and all those ready to better our world.
—Paige Perricone, The Denver Post, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The victim was also found to be developmentally delayed with an adolescent cognitive level, the warrant affidavit said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
Related: New 'Girl Goals' report shows uneven progress for adolescent girls.
—Maryanne Murray Buechner, Forbes, 12 Mar. 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 24 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