young adult

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a category of fiction that is primarily intended for adolescent readers
young adult fiction/literature
We live in an era of blockbuster young adult book series: Harry Potter, Twilight, now the Hunger Games.Leah Wilson
Early in her four-year career as the young adult librarian of the Huckaby Public Library, Veronica Garde observed that most of the staff had a sliding scale of courtesy toward library users, teenagers being given the shortest shrift.A. J. Anderson
abbreviation YA

Examples of young adult in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Four generations now share the space — Ross’ toddler, her young adult daughter, her mother in her 70s, Ross, and Pops. Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025 Casey Mauro, who participated in the Dateline NBC program as a young adult in the mid-2000s, discusses her time on the show in the new documentary Predators, which chronicles the history and impact of To Catch a Predator. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Sep. 2025 Hoover is the author of over 20 novels in the romance, young adult and psychological thriller genres. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025 The trilogy has demonstrated the power of young adult romance stories to transcend cultural and language barriers. Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for young adult

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of young adult was in 1942

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Cite this Entry

“Young adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/young%20adult. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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