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.
The show explores her ancestors and her surprise at learning, as a young adult, that her family tree bears African roots. Lania Berger, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 May 2025 Motorheads, the newest young adult drama to hit Prime Video, follows a group of teens restoring and racing sports cars in a small, once-prosperous Rust Belt town. Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025 Alexander grew up in Chicago and moved to the Dallas area as a young adult. Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2025 Sammy Hagar launched his new Las Vegas residency show on Wednesday The rocker shared a tale about his experience with Frank Sinatra as a young adult in the industry with the crowd Hagar plays at the Park MGM throughout the month of May The Red Rocker owes his life to Ol’ Blue Eyes. Mark Gray, People.com, 2 May 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 28 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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