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
The memoir came out in 2013 following Shawn's retirement from gymnastics, and offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at her childhood and young adult life, including the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and her win on season 8 of Dancing with the Stars.
—Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
From her early childhood in Davao City to her young adult life in Hawaii, my mom and her four sisters kept lengthy locks.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 20 Jan. 2026
The show focuses on the angst and exhilaration of being a young adult determined to take control of one’s own destiny.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
Examples of the apps in the meta-study include Tobbstop (a game designed for smokers in Spain) , Craving to Quit (a mindfulness training app), and Quit with US (made for young adult light smokers in Thailand).
—New Atlas, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for young adult
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Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
From her early childhood in Davao City to her young adult life in Hawaii, my mom and her four sisters kept lengthy locks.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 20 Jan. 2026
The show focuses on the angst and exhilaration of being a young adult determined to take control of one’s own destiny.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
Examples of the apps in the meta-study include Tobbstop (a game designed for smokers in Spain) , Craving to Quit (a mindfulness training app), and Quit with US (made for young adult light smokers in Thailand).
—New Atlas, 13 Jan. 2026
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 28 Jan. 2026.
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