pubertal

adjective

pu·​ber·​tal ˈpyü-bər-tᵊl How to pronounce pubertal (audio)
variants or puberal
: of or relating to puberty

Examples of pubertal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Childhood obesity rates in the U.S. have risen from 5% in the 1970s to 20% by 2018, and some studies link obesity to earlier pubertal development in girls and delayed puberty in boys. Alexa Lee, STAT, 7 Mar. 2024 By pausing puberty, these drugs buy children more time to explore their gender identity before undergoing permanent and potentially unwanted pubertal changes. Helen Santoro, CBS News, 27 June 2023 That stance, though, was bolstered by a recent study from Dr. Juul’s group showing that, of 205 pubertal children younger than 8 who underwent brain scans, just 1.8 percent of girls and 12.5 percent of boys had brain abnormalities indicating central precocious puberty. New York Times, 19 May 2022 Psychologist David Yeager of the University of Texas at Austin has been exploring how best to frame messages to teenagers and studying whether their effectiveness interacts with pubertal maturation, a sign that the neurochemical changes are playing a role. Lydia Denworth, Scientific American, 28 Apr. 2021 Sure enough, pubertal mice had seven times as many of the receptors as infant mice. Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2010 During childhood, your brain actively inhibits GNRH from releasing pubertal hormones like estrogen and testosterone, allowing kids to experience childhood without hormones in the mix, says Shirtcliff. Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 23 Aug. 2022 That risk occurs disproportionately in post-pubertal boys and young men, according to both Cooper and Schwartzberg. Isabella Fertel, USA TODAY, 10 Nov. 2022 Marlon Goering, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, studies the relationship between pubertal timing and behavioral challenges in young people. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pubertal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

pubertal from puberty; puberal from Medieval Latin puberalis, from Latin puber

First Known Use

circa 1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pubertal was circa 1856

Dictionary Entries Near pubertal

Cite this Entry

“Pubertal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pubertal. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

pubertal

adjective
pu·​ber·​tal ˈpyü-bərt-ᵊl How to pronounce pubertal (audio)
: of, relating to, or occurring in puberty
pubertal development
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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