1
as in young
being in the early stage of life, growth, or development
an adolescent sheepdog, who hasn't quite gotten the hang of keeping the sheep huddled together
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in childish
having or showing the annoying qualities (as silliness) associated with children
would hope that the college students had outgrown such adolescent behavior
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in immature
lacking in adult experience or maturity
took a group of adolescent recruits and turned them into professional warriors
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adolescent
Kelly Razzouk, Time, 27 May 2026
Now the city is developing a climate resilience framework informed directly by adolescent input.
—Ashoka, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 1 Apr. 2026
An adolescent with severe menstrual pain and vomiting may first present to a pediatrician.
—Sarah Berg, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Adjective
Advertisement Experts told me that over the past two months, adolescent suicide rates in Lebanon have climbed.
—Kelly Razzouk, Time, 27 May 2026
Now the city is developing a climate resilience framework informed directly by adolescent input.
—Ashoka, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Noun
He was brought to the center as an adolescent with a broken wing (possibly due to a collision with a car) and can no longer fly properly.
—Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 1 Apr. 2026
An adolescent with severe menstrual pain and vomiting may first present to a pediatrician.
—Sarah Berg, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adolescent
Adjective
-
For young travelers, Paintbox and Paintbox Petite are the resort’s exclusive clubs for children ages 5 to 12 and 2 to 5.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
-
Big surf from a previous swell contributed to a drowning Saturday off Dana Point and, on Wednesday afternoon, the search continued for a young girl swept off the sand Tuesday evening in Laguna Beach.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Giant, a play about Dahl running on Broadway through June, is anything but childish.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
-
Garrincha was characterised as childish and moronic in psychological tests commissioned by the Brazilian federation before that tournament in Sweden and was then left out of their first two games.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The agency notes that the wipes are predominantly used on newborns, infants, and young children, who are particularly vulnerable to infections due to their immature immune systems.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
8 June 2026
-
Edamame is young, immature soybeans.—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Three adults, as well as three juveniles, faced multiple criminal charges in the shooting.—
Ben Wheeler
June 12,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
-
The teen received an adult designation, which allows the judge to sentence the teen as a juvenile or an adult, or to allow rehabilitation before implementing an adult sentence.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
That now seemed an infantile idea.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
-
Not for infantile name calling.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the end, an inexperienced minor – who has no idea who hired them – pulls the trigger.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
-
Niemeyer found that random killing also creates chaos by replacing older coyotes that have learned the dangers of depredating livestock with younger, inexperienced coyotes that do depredate.—
Ted Williams,
Denver Post,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
For a lonely teenager in a rural town, a young person exploring their identity, a migrant child keeping culture and family within reach or a neurodivergent child who finds the school corridor or the playground.—
Belonging Forum,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
On June 12, the stylish teenager joined her family in attending her father David Beckham's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony.—
Staff Author,
InStyle,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
In that year in the United States the number of lost kids had dropped to just over two per hundred.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Children might get a teepee tent and toys, while older kids might have cards, board games, boogie boards, or a volleyball net.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adolescent. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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