adolescence

noun

ad·​o·​les·​cence ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊn(t)s How to pronounce adolescence (audio)
1
: the period of life when a child develops into an adult : the period from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority (see majority sense 2a)
He struggled through his adolescence.
2
: the state or process of growing up
3
: a stage of development (as of a language or culture) prior to maturity

Examples of adolescence in a Sentence

Their children are on the verge of adolescence. He struggled through his adolescence.
Recent Examples on the Web Having spent his adolescence in the Detroit area, Smith sought to bring his skills back to a place that felt like home. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 The show was about a family of wizards living in New York while navigating adolescence, relationships and all the weird monsters that come with the wizarding world. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024 Many young recruits are isolated from their families and deprived of the socialization that is essential to adolescence. John Yoon, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 The menu featured just five tacos to start — chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, pinto bean and the shrimp taco that Burrell had been perfecting since adolescence. Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 To Fanny and Lena’s concerned parents, adolescence seems as foreign a territory as another country might be. Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024 Notably, these actions during early adolescence were found to predict a higher likelihood of dependence on parents in adulthood. Mark Travers, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Jones spent much of her adolescence in Mira Mesa and graduated from Kearny High School. Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2024 More than half of the 400 children whose families participated in the follow-up interview continued to experience insomnia symptoms in adolescence, while about 30% found their symptoms had gone away. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adolescence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin adolēscentia, adulēscentia, noun derivative of adolēscent-, adolēscens adolescent entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of adolescence was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near adolescence

Cite this Entry

“Adolescence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adolescence. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

adolescence

noun
ad·​o·​les·​cence ˌad-ᵊl-ˈes-ᵊn(t)s How to pronounce adolescence (audio)
: the state or process of growing up
also : the period of life from puberty to maturity
adolescent
-ᵊnt
adjective or noun
Etymology

Middle English adolescence "adolescence," from early French adolescence (same meaning), from Latin adolescentia (same meaning), from adolescere "to grow up" — related to adult

Medical Definition

adolescence

noun
ad·​o·​les·​cence ˌad-ᵊl-ˈes-ᵊn(t)s How to pronounce adolescence (audio)
1
: the state or process of growing up
2
: the period of life from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority

More from Merriam-Webster on adolescence

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