adolescent
Americanadjective
-
growing to manhood or womanhood; youthful.
-
having the characteristics of adolescence or of an adolescent.
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to adolescence
-
informal behaving in an immature way; puerile
noun
Other Word Forms
- adolescently adverb
- postadolescent adjective
- subadolescent adjective
Etymology
Origin of adolescent
First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin adolēscent- (stem of adolēscēns “growing up,” present participle of adolēscere ), equivalent to adol(ē)- ( adult ) + -ēsc- verb suffix + -ent- adjective suffix; -esce, -ent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Researchers from Italy, USA and Australia examined health, growth, and nutritional outcomes in more than 48,000 children and adolescents around the world who followed different eating patterns.
From Science Daily
Medical imaging of adolescent brains shows structural changes in areas involved in impulse control and decision-making.
This year, the World Health Organization reviewed various studies published across the world and found that young adults and adolescents report the highest levels of loneliness too.
From BBC
When everything from the rats to the Christmas tree get bigger, so does Clara as she goes from a young girl to an adolescent.
From Los Angeles Times
Ultra-processed foods -- which make up 55 to 65 percent of what young adults eat in the U.S. -- have been associated with metabolic syndrome, poor cardiovascular health, and other conditions in adolescents.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
