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

As a young adult, Duarte continued to work in the restaurant industry, taking several jobs in the San Diego area. —Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025

Since 2018, there has been an 80% increase in new young adult cancer patients, according to Vanderbilt data. —Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 13 Nov. 2025

Elsa McGrain developed a stronger connection with Christianity in her teenage years, even going as far one summer in Omaha as to set up a young adult ministry group which had not existed before. —Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2025

This is another young adult novel in verse that comments on the healing nature of poetry! —Amber McBride, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for young adult

• catapult
• subadult
• consult
• exult
• insult
• iseult
• occult
• result
• cult