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 stocking my kitchen for the first time, TJ Maxx has become my go-to spot for all the essentials. —Kylie Petty, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026

At that time young adult novels were the place where there were books about female main characters who were feeling big emotions and experiencing love—romantic love and friend love—and navigating a world that felt familiar. —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 8 Jan. 2026

Investigators determined that four teenage boys were waiting for a bus at the Transit Mall when they were accosted by two young adult men wearing ski masks and dark clothing. —Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026

The field of cybercrime is almost exclusively dominated by male actors, but Scattered Spider has effectively recruited teenage and young adult women who have become a strategic asset. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for young adult

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