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
Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Since 2010, when DreamWorks Animation’s soaring epic was first introduced, fans have been captivated by the unlikely friendship of an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon and the astonishing adventures of Hiccup and Toothless.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2026
Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
Twenge has spent much of the past decade warning parents about the risks of giving young adolescents unlimited access to smartphones and social media.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Adjective
There’s plenty of reasons to hope, but also, expect more growing pains than an adolescent Wookie.
—Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Since 2010, when DreamWorks Animation’s soaring epic was first introduced, fans have been captivated by the unlikely friendship of an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon and the astonishing adventures of Hiccup and Toothless.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2026
Noun
Children and adolescents aged 2 to 18, without other high-risk factors like immunosuppression, can receive and should be offered the vaccine if they were not previously immunized, according to the guidance.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
Twenge has spent much of the past decade warning parents about the risks of giving young adolescents unlimited access to smartphones and social media.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adolescent
Adjective
-
On the medal, the Virgil inscription surrounds a young man sitting under a laurel tree, listening to the Muse, and writing down her song.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Once in college, barriers to gaining meaningful work experience persist for young people.—
Brandon Busteed,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Maybe this is just appealing to my simplest, most childish instincts, reacting to bright colours like a toddler might.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2026
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When Smith drives us in the golf cart, hunched close to the wheel, a look of childish mischief spreads over his face.—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Unlike older drugs, this formula safely accounts for a baby’s immature metabolism.—
Kwesi Akonu Adom Mensah Forson,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
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This is really a way to tell the story from a much more immature point of view.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Four suspects have been arrested, including two juveniles, the Surry County Sheriff’s Office reported Friday in a case update.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Jan. 2026
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In addition, one juvenile was rushed by medical helicopter to a trauma center with critical injuries.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Bi modelled the monster after the way fetuses look on ultrasounds, at once aged and infantile, and had his designers make the Deliriant hunched over, bearing a tortoise-like shell on his back.—
Dennis Zhou,
New Yorker,
12 Dec. 2025
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The program is the legacy of Dr. Stephen Arnon, chief of the Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program at the California health department, who dedicated his life to finding a treatment for infantile botulism.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
25 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Older, more experienced players — like Indiana’s fleet of 24-year olds — are usually better than younger, inexperienced ones, especially in this age of the transfer portal.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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Tech Hamiltonians and Silicon Valley enthusiasts are often inexperienced in the ways of government and unaccustomed to the compromise and diplomacy that successful policy implementation often requires.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The mark also set a record for most points by a teenager in NBA history, surpassing Cliff Robinson’s 45 points scored on March 9, 1980 — the same year Norm Sonju co-founded the Mavericks and just one year before the franchise drafted Aguirre with the first overall pick in 1981.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Jan. 2026
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But one recent prospect ranking dropped an Elly comparison onto a teenager buried deep in the Phillies’ farm system.—
Anthony Stitt,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That money is reserved for kids who live in ZIP codes with a median family income of $150,000 or less and who won't get the $1,000 seed money from the Treasury.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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But the dead kid’s eyes held her to the corner of 110th.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adolescent. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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