young adult
Americannoun
-
young adults
plural
-
a teenager (used especially by publishers and librarians).
-
a person in the early years of adulthood.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Skates said he still recognised the anxiety that affected him as a child and young adult, but has learned to manage it through treatment and talking therapies.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Romer grew up in a trailer park in New York but moved to Lafayette, La., as a young adult with her partner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The young adult novel follows Zélie Adebola as she tries to bring magic back to the mythical kingdom of Orïsha after a ruthless king wiped it out.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
McElwee’s last documentary, 2011’s “Photographic Memory,” saw Adrian as a young adult, trying to come into his own and figure out his place in life amid a shifting social landscape riddled with digital black holes.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
The holographic Mrs. Tobin appeared behind the young adult librarian’s desk.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
