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
Synonyms
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
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
The Pitts brood, including adolescents and youngest daughter Onjel, then 2, the same age as Dolen son Sean, moved into Chris and John Dolen’s three bedroom home for about six weeks, Pitts’ wife Marilyn recalls.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025
Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Feb. 2025
Dawn Bounds, PhD, an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Irvine Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, specializes in social media and adolescent mental health.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for adolescent 
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Noun
The foundation provides scholarships, educational assistance, and athletic guidance to children, adolescents, and young adults striving for positive advancement, according to its website.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
The Pitts brood, including adolescents and youngest daughter Onjel, then 2, the same age as Dolen son Sean, moved into Chris and John Dolen’s three bedroom home for about six weeks, Pitts’ wife Marilyn recalls.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
The move swept up many resources on the CDC website, ranging from data on adolescent health and infectious disease to clinical guidelines on reproductive care and HIV.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Feb. 2025
Dawn Bounds, PhD, an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Irvine Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, specializes in social media and adolescent mental health.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for adolescent
Dictionary Entries Near adolescent
Cite this Entry
“Adolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adolescent. Accessed 19 Feb. 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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