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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adolescent
Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 1 Jan. 2026
And if parents don't understand all the risks and benefits, parents and kids can research that together, suggests psychologist Jacqueline Nesi at Brown University, who was involved in the American Psychological Association's recent health advisory on AI and adolescent health.
—Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 29 Dec. 2025
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
In November, the European Parliament urged the EU to set minimum social media ages to tackle adolescent mental health issues, though final decisions rest with its member states, Reuters reported.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 1 Jan. 2026
And if parents don't understand all the risks and benefits, parents and kids can research that together, suggests psychologist Jacqueline Nesi at Brown University, who was involved in the American Psychological Association's recent health advisory on AI and adolescent health.
—Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 29 Dec. 2025
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
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Most people who get sick recover within a week, but infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Yu says his early experiences led him to chase achievement as a way of protecting a younger version of himself.—
Ernestine Siu,
CNBC,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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The ensuing power struggle between Woody and Buzz threatens to put their owner’s childish things away forever in Pixar’s debut feature.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Its audience, once immature teenagers, is now made up of immature middle-aged people — plus a whole lot of new immature teenagers.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The bacterial illness, called infant botulism, occurs when babies ingest spores of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which can grow in their immature digestive systems and produce toxin.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The pack’s unusual hunting behavior caused panic among residents and ranchers in the state’s high rangeland north of Truckee, eventually leading state wildlife regulators to euthanize its three adult wolves and accidentally kill one of four juveniles in October.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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Had the Santana attack happened today, a 15-year-old shooter — even if convicted of multiple murders — would be tried as a juvenile and generally could not be held in custody longer than age 25, with maybe an additional two years in transitional housing.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 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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Ten of the top 15 quarterbacks in the portal have already committed, and after that top tier, many of the remaining quarterbacks available are either young, inexperienced passers from Power 4 programs or starters from Group of 5 or FCS schools.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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According to the University of Massachusetts Global, teacher turnover results in a large number of inexperienced teachers being placed in classrooms, meaning more money is put toward recruiting, hiring and training.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The teenager, who was left blind after the tragedy, died a week after accomplishing his goal to attend the University of Utah.—
Daniel S. Levine,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
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As Arnoldo’s undocumented father, Arnulfo Bazan Carrillo, drove off, the terrified teenager began filming on his phone.—
Nicole Foy,
ProPublica,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Here, a look at the new kids on the block, arriving just in time for the season.—
Laurie Brookins,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Jan. 2026
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Elk Grove city leaders are now taking steps to ban kids from parking off campus.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adolescent. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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