preadolescent

American  

[pree-ad-l-es-uhnt] / ˌpri æd lˈɛs ənt /

adjective

1. of or relating to preadolescence or a preadolescent.

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noun

1. a person who is in the preadolescent years.

preadolescent British  

/ ˌpriːædəˈlɛsənt /

noun

1. a person who has not yet reached adolescence

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adjective

1. of or relating to the period before adolescence

Etymology

Origin of preadolescent

First recorded in 1905–10; pre- + adolescent

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preadolescent

Early in the movie, the character is played by Alyla Browne as preadolescent Furiosa.

From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2024

In their forgiveness journals, one preadolescent from Northern Ireland wrote: “We need to learn this to be friends.”

From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2023

Using data collected from a study of 285 guide dogs, the researchers found that preadolescent and postadolescent dogs seem to be more “trainable” than teenage pooches.

From Science Magazine ● May 12, 2020

Intrigued, I clicked and found myself following a redheaded preadolescent as she steps tentatively into her driveway, where her father is packing up an ’80s-era hatchback for a big trip.

From New York Times ● Jan. 8, 2020

Not surprisingly, accounts of the 1963 epic on Everest resonated loud and long in my preadolescent imagination.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer