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• coming of age
  coming of age

  noun

  the point, state, or age at which a person officially becomes an adult.
• coming-of-age
  coming-of-age

  adjective

  of, relating to, or designating the point or process of reaching adulthood.

coming of age

¹ American  

noun

1. the point, state, or age at which a person officially becomes an adult.

2. the process of becoming an adult.

3. the state or process of reaching maturity, acceptance, or readiness.

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coming-of-age ² American  

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating the point or process of reaching adulthood.

2. of, relating to, or designating the point or process of reaching maturity, acceptance, or readiness.

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Other Word Forms

• coming-of-age
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coming of age coming-of-age

The coming of age story, Mountain, directed by Celyn Jones, was filmed in his home town of Holyhead, on Anglesey.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

His coming of age occurs when, while fighting for Germany in World War I at the colonial outpost of Tsingtau, in China, he is captured by his adoptive country of Japan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

“Agridulce” is an ethnomusicological documentary — it captures the music of a specific place and people and shows how the tradition is kept alive — that also doubles as a coming of age story.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

That tile so far has proved to perform well and be power-efficient, Altavilla said, and therefore “really signals a coming of age of 18A for Intel.”

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 25, 2026

The human species is coming of age here.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

As she managed in the quite good sci-fi coming-of-age dramedy “My Old Ass,” Stella has a knack for giving authenticity to the outlandish — a naturalistic conviction that reminds me of Florence Pugh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Television likes a coming-of-age story, and has logged some great ones — “My So-Called Life,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Freaks and Geeks,” “Everybody Hates Chris” — along with … some other ones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

While Kiki’s coming-of-age year as a witch requires her to live on her own, she’s never alone and can’t succeed without other people.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

A coming-of-age trilogy that traverses icy seas and snowy mountains concludes among the everyday struggles of an Icelandic village.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

I’d missed the big coming-of-age party, but still, it didn’t seem like a good time to offer up any belated congrats.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx