adolescent

1 of 2

noun

ad·​o·​les·​cent ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊnt 

: a young person who is developing into an adult : one who is in the state of adolescence

adolescent

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or being in adolescence

adolescent growth

adolescent boys and girls

2

: emotionally or intellectually immature

did not appreciate her husband's adolescent high jinks

adolescently adverb

Synonyms of adolescent

Adjective

• young
• juvenile

Examples of adolescent in a Sentence

Noun

Their children are now adolescents.

Adjective

an adolescent sheepdog, who hasn't quite gotten the hang of keeping the sheep huddled together

would hope that the college students had outgrown such adolescent behavior

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But for children and adolescents whose bodies and skeletons are still growing, specialized pediatric orthopedic care is critical. — Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026

Unbeknownst to many parents, Charlie Kirk was reaching millions of adolescents online during the COVID lockdown, warning about government overreach and liberal shaming. — Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Adjective

Authorities arrested 59-year-old Charles Barton Lucas on Friday after the IT director at RoMac Building Supply contacted the Leesburg Police Department after finding a Google Drive folder full of inappropriate images of adolescent girls and adult women. — Ronn Blitzer , Tessa Hoyos, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026

The Kreung people of northeastern Cambodia build huts for their adolescent daughters to use for erotic liaisons and encourage them to have as many of these as possible before choosing a husband. — Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin adolēscent-, adolēscens "young man or woman, youth," noun derivative of adolēscens adolescent entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from French & Latin; French, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin adolēscent-, adolēscens, adulēscens "young, youthful," present participle of adolēscere, adulēscere "to become mature, grow up" — more at adult entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing adolescent

• sub-adolescent

Rhymes for adolescent

• acquiescent
• arborescent
• coalescent
• convalescent
• deliquescent
• effervescent
• evanescent
• incandescent
• iridescent
• luminescent
• obsolescent
• opalescent

Medical Definition

adolescent

1 of 2 noun

ad·​o·​les·​cent -ᵊnt 

: one that is in the state of adolescence

adolescent

2 of 2 adjective

: of, relating to, or being in adolescence

adolescently adverb