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

Adjective

• immature
• juvenile
• young
• youngish
• youthful

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

Primary care doctors are supposed to screen adolescents and adults for depression, but that doesn’t always happen. —Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024

The authors of a 2023 report found that reducing social-media exposure significantly improves body image in adolescents and young adults. —Andrew Solomon, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024

Adjective

While living in Tohoku, the tiny village in which his mother had been raised, the adolescent Hosoe developed a fascination with mythology and the spiritual world that would inform his later work. —News Desk, Artforum, 3 Oct. 2024

Bear with me, because this is about to get a little dizzying: We’re taken through the day by several guides, including Geoffrey O’Brien, the teenaged reporter son of a legendary NYC DJ, and Judith Kristen, an eager adolescent concertgoer. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Oct. 2024

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

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