young adult

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a category of fiction that is primarily intended for adolescent readers

young adult fiction/literature

We live in an era of blockbuster young adult book series: Harry Potter, Twilight, now the Hunger Games.

—Leah Wilson

Early in her four-year career as the young adult librarian of the Huckaby Public Library, Veronica Garde observed that most of the staff had a sliding scale of courtesy toward library users, teenagers being given the shortest shrift.

—A. J. Anderson

—abbreviation YA

Examples of young adult in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Issue a royal decree that my young adult children actually have to listen to me and take my advice at least 78% of the time. —Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025

In the limited series, Harrison appears as a young adult for the first time, having been a child in the original series, looking for the father who abandoned him years ago. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025

The new facility will have a place for young adult clients. —Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025

His young adult children are now experiencing similar lives to our own back in the day. —Don Riddell, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for young adult

• catapult
• subadult
• consult
• exult
• insult
• iseult
• occult
• result
• cult