pubescent

adjective

pu·​bes·​cent pyü-ˈbe-sᵊnt How to pronounce pubescent (audio)
1
a
: arriving at or having reached puberty
b
: of or relating to puberty
2
: covered with fine soft short hairs compare villous

Examples of pubescent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web My father, a psychologist, listened carefully and then gently suggested that the dream might reflect anxiety about my changing pubescent body. Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023 The thinking, as explained by the former IBLP adherent who mentions the rule, was that exposure to female genitalia, even those belonging to an infant, would be too much temptation for a pubescent male. Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 2 June 2023 Using the genre trappings of the superhero origin story, Amazon’s new drama The Power explores society’s preoccupation with and fear of pubescent girls. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Mar. 2023 But behind those scenes of pubescent angst and hilarity is a cutting narrative about a girl caught between her mother’s Christianity and her father’s Judaism, who tries desperately to relate to God outside all of that. Selome Hailu, Variety, 30 Mar. 2023 Timothée as a pre-pubescent Darth Vader? Raven Smith, Vogue, 26 May 2021 And yet all that feels like cold comfort during the two-plus hours of bland action, circuitous twists, creaky unfunniness, and insistent product placement that makes up the second outing for our pubescent Superman. Charles Bramesco, Chron, 15 Mar. 2023 Harvested in the pubescent stage of the plant’s life, the leaves contain highly stimulating enzymatic properties that interact with dopamine and norepinephrine receptors in the brain to produce stimulant effects. Dallas News, 10 Nov. 2022 Reynolds assaulted the pre-pubescent victim 15 to 50 times over several years. Garfield Hylton, Orlando Sentinel, 16 June 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pubescent.' 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

Latin pubescent-, pubescens, present participle of pubescere to reach puberty, become covered as with hair, from pubes

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of pubescent was in 1646

Dictionary Entries Near pubescent

Cite this Entry

“Pubescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pubescent. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Medical Definition

pubescent

adjective
pu·​bes·​cent -ᵊnt How to pronounce pubescent (audio)
1
: arriving at or having reached puberty
2
: of or relating to puberty
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