Definition of ADOLESCENT

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

Some of the latest data, from 2015-’16, shows 10 percent of children and adolescents ages 4 to 17 were diagnosed with ADHD in the US. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "Kids who start kindergarten young are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD," 17 Dec. 2018 The 2015-2016 survey included data on 18,107 children and adolescents ages 4 to 17. — Fox News, "ADHD diagnoses may be rising in US," 31 Aug. 2018 Scoliosis is a common spinal condition often found in children and adolescents. — Dr. Carolyn Kienstra And Dr. Alicia Morrisson, miamiherald, "Scoliosis a common condition that could require medical care," 12 June 2018 His worried parents took him to Seattle Children’s Hospital, which has a psychiatric unit for children and adolescents. — NBC News, "Why this family blames mental health system for teen's suicide," 23 Apr. 2018 This new two-part special looks back at the Nazis' indoctrination of young children and adolescents in pre-WWII Germany, as well as Allied efforts to reverse that indoctrination after the war ended. — Matt Cooper, latimes.com, "Tuesday's TV highlights: 'Civilizations' and more," 17 Apr. 2018 Pleated surface: Müller and his team scanned the brains of 64 children and adolescents with autism and 64 controls, aged 6 to 18 years. — Rachel Zamzow, Scientific American, "Brains of Children with Autism Show Unusual Folding Patterns," 9 July 2018 For decades, researchers have studied how media consumption is associated with negative body image and the development of disordered eating behavior, especially among adolescents and young women. — Carolyn Kylstra, SELF, "How Should a Health Brand Talk About Weight?," 25 June 2018 Rates of depression in the country are rising, particularly among adolescents and seniors, noted Dr. Sarah Ngyuen, an assistant clinical professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, but rates of treatment are not. — courant.com, "Depression Affects Women At Twice The Rate As Men," 20 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Dan Weiner, a child and adolescent psychotherapist in West Hartford, says for a variety of reasons, our culture increasingly reinforces the expectation of immediate gratification. — Teresa M. Pelham, courant.com, "Being Grateful In The Face Of Privilege," 17 Mar. 2018 But underneath all the masturbating with pastry and accidentally ingested semen cocktails, there’s real sentiment to the adolescent boys trying to find their way with women, and vice versa. — Vogue, "The 55 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time," 1 Feb. 2019 Christian agreed to go to detox for his drug use, then later moved to a house for adolescent boys run by Juconi. — Robbie Whelan, WSJ, "Mexico’s New Focus to Stem Violent Culture: Children," 26 Jan. 2019 In January, Orben published a paper asserting that screen time was no stronger a risk factor for adolescent depression than eating potatoes or wearing eyeglasses. — Jessica Wapner, SELF, "How Worried Do You Really Need to Be About Your Screen Time?," 7 Feb. 2019 Blakemore breaks down the most up-to-date science on adolescent brain development. — Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, "In the teenage brain, rapidly changing circuitry, not just hormones, explains a lot," 13 May 2018 Between four and seven years later, the researchers found, adolescent girls who had moved into more expensive neighborhoods were far less likely to drink to excess than girls who remained in public housing. — Susan Pinker, WSJ, "When a Better Neighborhood Is Bad for Boys," 26 Sep. 2018 Treatment programs and adolescent psychiatrists are in short supply, though. — Betsy Mckay, WSJ, "Teen Vaping Has Created Addicts With Few Treatment Options," 18 Dec. 2018 As advocates for women’s rights, the change-making women have recently teamed up on philanthropic efforts like Girls Alliance, an initiative that supports the education of adolescent girls around the world. — Harleen Sidhu, Teen Vogue, "10 Celebrities on How Serena Williams Inspires Them," 12 Dec. 2018

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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