young adult
Americannoun
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a teenager (used especially by publishers and librarians).
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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.
The team compared young, adult, and old fish, examining many aspects of protein production inside brain cells.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2026
“It still provides independence with the young adult or elderly parent, while giving the flexibility to live together and spend time together.”
From MarketWatch • May 9, 2026
New York City churches, like St. Joseph’s and St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, are experiencing a surge in young adult attendance.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Orange County has reported a measles case in a young adult who potentially exposed people at a gym and urgent care center in Ladera Ranch, as well as a case in a toddler.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
But she said that growing up and as a young adult, she never had a dentist to go to, so she had done her best.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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.
