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
Leah WilsonEarly 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
A. J. AndersonExamples of young adult in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Suddenly, whatever graced my wardrobe as a trend-chasing teen and young adult is back and more coveted than ever.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
Most notable was that the functional and young adult subtypes represented roughly between 19% to 31% of all alcoholics, while the chronic severe subtype represented only 9%—yet the latter has become the stereotype.
—Sarah Allen Benton, SELF, 23 Dec. 2025
Her team of nine handles about 350 other children and young adult refugees, ages five to 24, from countries that include Congo, Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Cameroon, Rwanda, Haiti, Tanzania, Mexico, Guatemala and others.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 23 Dec. 2025
The series is moored by the performance of Kim Min-ha, who is believable both as mischievous teen Hee-wan, and deeply depressed young adult Hee-wan.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for young adult
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Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
Most notable was that the functional and young adult subtypes represented roughly between 19% to 31% of all alcoholics, while the chronic severe subtype represented only 9%—yet the latter has become the stereotype.
—Sarah Allen Benton, SELF, 23 Dec. 2025
Her team of nine handles about 350 other children and young adult refugees, ages five to 24, from countries that include Congo, Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Cameroon, Rwanda, Haiti, Tanzania, Mexico, Guatemala and others.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 23 Dec. 2025
The series is moored by the performance of Kim Min-ha, who is believable both as mischievous teen Hee-wan, and deeply depressed young adult Hee-wan.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for young adult
Cite this Entry
“Young adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/young%20adult. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
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