adolescence

noun

ad·o·les·cence | \ ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊn(t)s

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 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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about adolescence

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of adolescence in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Research has also shown that voting habits are often formed during childhood and adolescence. — Lauren Young, Teen Vogue, "“Cap, Gown, Vote!” Is Helping to Register Eligible High School Students to Vote," 14 Sep. 2018 The tome details stories of the former first children's lives, from watching their grandfather become president in their early childhood to living their adolescence in the spotlight. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Jenna Bush Hager Posted a Heartfelt Message About Her 99-Year-Old Grandma on Instagram," 8 Nov. 2018 Or that each struggled with emotional and other problems during his adolescence and that one of them continued to? — Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, "When triplets are separated — then reunited," 4 July 2018 But at some point, all those little buddies are going to reach adolescence. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, "Review: In the Raunchy Blockers, It's the Adults Who Need to Grow Up," 6 Apr. 2018 Production then cast teenagers Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace to chronicle the characters' adolescence for the ensuing six episodes. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "My Brilliant Friend to Return for Season 2 on HBO," 4 Dec. 2018 But long before Diana, Camilla, and his children came along, young Charles endured a rather challenging adolescence. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "A Rare Look Inside Prince Charles's Surprisingly Lonely and Heartbreaking Childhood," 16 Aug. 2018 Unlike happiness and popular conceptions of middle school as a time of awkward adolescence, there is no strong tendency to feel less comfortable at school in grade 8 than in grade 4. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "Are American kids happy in school? New data tells a surprising story.," 29 May 2018 Mid90s is really an immersive look at male adolescence and all its conflicting joys and toxicities. — Jason Gay, WSJ, "Jonah Hill Makes Directing Look Easy," 30 Oct. 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.