Synonyms & Antonyms for adolescent

Synonyms: Adjective

Antonyms: Adjective

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 His mother said Ramirez, brought to the United States from El Salvador as a child, had started drinking as an adolescent and was gentle and sweet when sober, but bad-tempered when drunk. — Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, "Death sentence for killer of San Leandro cop in 2005 upheld by state Supreme Court," 28 Jan. 2021 Read’s simmering crime story, set in the mountainous West and evocative of classic noir, follows a lonely adolescent through the dissolution of his family into life as a fugitive. — New York Times, "New & Noteworthy, From Western Noir to Humanitarian Aid," 20 Jan. 2021 And then of course there is Neil Hughes, who had gone from being a wildly imaginative middle-class little boy to a depressive adolescent to a man struggling with homelessness. — Alissa Quart, The New Republic, "Michael Apted Took The Very Long View," 12 Jan. 2021 The Cleveland Browns’ postseason drought grew from a crabby and cranky toddler into an exasperating adolescent. — Ben Shpigel, New York Times, "Behind Baker Mayfield, the Browns and Their Playoff Hopes Mature," 6 Dec. 2020 But the same principles applied to gender identity could criminalise counselling that raises the distinct possibility that a particular trans-identifying child or adolescent might one day desist. — The Economist, "Other countries should learn from a transgender verdict in England," 12 Dec. 2020 Kateyln was the first adolescent to be injected, on Oct. 14, with either the vaccine or a placebo in the local trial that the FDA approved for kids just two days before. — Terry Demio, The Enquirer, "Teen in Cincinnati Children's COVID-19 vaccine trial says it's 'a way to be helpful.'," 30 Nov. 2020 Sanja Tomasevic remembers being a tall, clumsy adolescent in Serbia smacking a volleyball off the wall to herself one day before practice. — Greg Moore, AZCentral.com, "When did you fall in love with your sport? The stars' stories are so similar to our own," 25 Nov. 2020 All of this is normal behavior for an intemperate adolescent, an authoritarian ruler, or Trump. — NBC news, "Dingell: Women will help Biden win Michigan," 4 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Two-thirds of adolescent participants will get the vaccine, while the remainder will receive a placebo. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Moderna says vaccine study in adolescents has picked up speed," 3 Feb. 2021 But that’s a yearling, which is basically an early adolescent horse. — Alice Burton, Vulture, "All Creatures Great and Small Recap: Requiem for a Horse," 24 Jan. 2021 Partly that’s because in Western art, at least until the 20th century, the object of the male-on-male gaze is virtually always an adolescent boy. — New York Times, "The Lusty Creativity of Cornelis Cornelisz von Haarlem," 13 Jan. 2021 She's written in the past on the opioid crisis, medical marijuana, adolescent medicine, eating disorders and LGBTQ medicine. — Will Weissert, Star Tribune, "Biden picks transgender woman as assistant health secretary," 19 Jan. 2021 She's written in the past on the opioid crisis, medical marijuana, adolescent medicine, eating disorders and LGBTQ medicine. — The Associated Press, NOLA.com, "Rachel Levine, Biden's pick for health dept. post, is a transgender woman and Tulane grad," 19 Jan. 2021 Oikophobia is a stage through which the adolescent mind normally passes. — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "Our Tech Cosmopolitans’ Selective Outrage," 15 Jan. 2021 The story of a bright young man, mired in poverty and wallowing in alienation, who rationalizes murder and then has to live with the consequences, is a perfect web for capturing the adolescent imagination. — Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: Times are bad, so keep your uplift. Give me ‘Crime and Punishment’ and ‘The Godfather’," 14 Jan. 2021 Dr Nihara Krause is a consultant clinical psychologist and lecturer in adolescent and adult mental health. — Vicky Spratt, refinery29.com, "Why Is Everyone Reading The Stoics?," 9 Jan. 2021

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

History and Etymology for adolescent

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

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