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adolescence

noun ad·o·les·cence \ ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊn(t)s \
|Updated on: 13 Jul 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

  1. Their children are on the verge of adolescence.

  2. He struggled through his adolescence.

Recent Examples of adolescence from the Web

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

adolescence Synonyms

Synonyms

minority, nonage;

Related Words

boyhood, girlhood, preadolescence, youth;

bloom, flush, heyday, prime;

majority, maturity;

manhood, womanhood;

babyhood, infancy;

ADOLESCENCE Defined for Kids

adolescence

noun ad·o·les·cence \ ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊns \

Definition of adolescence for Students

: the period of life between childhood and adulthood

Medical Dictionary

adolescence

noun ad·o·les·cence \ ˌad-ᵊl-ˈes-ᵊn(t)s \

medical Definition of adolescence

1 : the state or process of growing up
2 : the period of life from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority

Learn More about adolescence

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for adolescence Spanish Central: Translation of adolescence Nglish: Translation of adolescence for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of adolescence for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about adolescence

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