adolescence

noun ad·o·les·cence \ ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊn(t)s \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

Definition of adolescence

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 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

See adolescence defined for English-language learners

See adolescence defined for kids

Examples of adolescence in a Sentence

Their children are on the verge of adolescence.
He struggled through his adolescence.

Recent Examples of adolescence from the Web

The film is a tender and empathetic story about the awkwardness of adolescence in the age of social media — and always.

— eliza berman, Time, "50 New Summer Movies to See in 2018," 11 May 2018
Giggling at Facebook and sending messages because no one can just skip adolescence.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Judgement and Epiphany on Pittsburgh’s Number 79 Bus," 11 May 2018
But the effect is going to be reduced substantially at adolescence.

— nicholas bakalar, New York Times, "Breast-Feeding Has No Impact on I.Q. by Age 16," 9 May 2018
The rules called for each episode to be shot on Super 16mm, with story lines about adolescence set between 1960 and 1990.

— g. allen johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, "Olivier Assayas’ great 1994 film ‘Cold Water’ finally gets a U.S. release," 2 May 2018
However, there is life after adolescence for these groups.

— andrew unterberger, Billboard, "Boys to Men: The Ten Best Songs by Grown-Up Boy Bands," 24 Apr. 2018
In fact, Contemporary Pediatrics recently reported on the results of a study that tracked the psychosocial effects of early puberty on girls longer than had been previously studied, beyond adolescence and into adulthood.

— Philly.com, "Early puberty may spark long-term mental-health problems for girls," 23 Apr. 2018
Like 48 voices all essaying the song stylings of the just-out-of-adolescence version of the figure now grandly known as His Lordship, or, to his friends, Sir Andrew, or, in the cheaper seats, plain old Andrew Lloyd Webber.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "'Jesus Christ Superstar' means 'gig theater' is coming to the Lyric Opera," 18 Apr. 2018
Even the splashy ensemble numbers, two of which make memorable use of cafeteria trays, suggest a nervous burst of hormonally charged adolescence that makes Mean Girls sing.

— david rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Mean Girls': Theater Review," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adolescence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of adolescence

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year