Synonyms of adolescent

adolescent 1 of 2

adjective

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• young
• juvenile
• youthful
• teenage
• immature
• youngish
• inexperienced
• preteen
• underage
• infantile
• embryonic
• subadult
• emergent
• minor
• burgeoning
• flowering
• childlike
• childish
• callow
• puerile
• babyish
• ephebic
• green
• undeveloped
• unfinished
• unformed
• infantine
• unripe
• flourishing
• unfledged
• raw
• blooming
• blossoming
• unripened
• kiddish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adult
• older
• mature
• elderly
• senior
• old
• geriatric
• matured
• aged
• ancient
• aging
• senescent
• grown-up
• oldish
• long-lived
• full-blown
• full-fledged
• ripe
• golden
• middle-aged
• ripened
• mellow
• senile
• over-the-hill
• doddering
• decrepit
• spavined
• tottery
• anile

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• childish
• immature
• juvenile
• infantile
• babyish
• puerile
• jejune
• kiddish
• girlish
• boyish
• innocent
• childlike
• simple
• bratty
• unsophisticated
• brattish
• naive
• girlie
• simplistic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adult
• mature
• grown-up
• sophisticated
• experienced
• knowing
• worldly
• smart
• cosmopolitan
• unchildlike
• worldly-wise

3

as in immature

lacking in adult experience or maturity

took a group of adolescent recruits and turned them into professional warriors

Synonyms & Similar Words

• immature
• inexperienced
• young
• juvenile
• youthful
• callow
• unfledged
• puerile
• unformed
• unripe
• unripened
• infantile
• green
• childish
• wet behind the ears
• raw
• innocent
• naive
• girlish
• babyish
• boyish
• youngish
• infantilized
• infantine
• virginal
• maidenly
• unsophisticated
• ingenuous
• untrained
• kiddish
• untried
• unknowing
• unseasoned
• juvenescent
• tender

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adult
• mature
• experienced
• ripe
• advanced
• precocious
• grown-up
• sophisticated
• knowing
• worldly
• savvy
• worldly-wise

adolescent

2 of 2

noun

as in juvenile

Related Words

• juvenile
• teenager
• kid
• youngster
• tween
• minor
• moppet
• kiddo
• kiddie
• boy
• youngling
• youth
• stripling
• nipper
• lad
• laddie
• sonny
• shaver
• boychick
• whippersnapper
• urchin
• shaveling
• gamin
• hobbledehoy
• callant
• boyo
• guttersnipe
• toddler
• schoolboy
• imp
• tyke
• tad
• squirt
• tot
• mama's boy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of adolescent

Adjective

Rescued by Tamijuddin, a Muslim friend of her father’s, the adolescent Sutara is nursed back to health by his family before being escorted safely to her brothers in Calcutta. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

Children who struggle to gain weight while taking certain stimulant ADHD medication may benefit from Simtriyo too, according to Neha Sharma, DO, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. — Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 28 July 2026

Noun

Many factors can lead to substance use among adolescents, experts say, including their peers and family environments. — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 12 June 2026

In a 2025 study of 209 adolescents aged 10 to 17 who had a depressive or anxiety disorder, researchers examined iron deficiency and anxiety through brain scans and interviews. — Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 10 June 2026