adolescent

American  

[ad-l-es-uhnt] / ˌæd lˈɛs ənt /

adjective

1. growing to manhood or womanhood; youthful.

   Synonyms:

   young, immature

2. having the characteristics of adolescence or of an adolescent.

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noun

1. an adolescent person.

   Synonyms:

   minor, teenager, youth

adolescent British  

/ ˌædəˈlɛsənt /

adjective

1. of or relating to adolescence

2. informal behaving in an immature way; puerile

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noun

1. an adolescent person

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

France's public health watchdog last year said platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram were detrimental to adolescents, particularly girls, though it was not the sole reason for their declining mental health.

From Barron's

The drug, for the rare disease hypophosphatasia, showed positive results in infant trials but not in adult/adolescent trials.

From The Wall Street Journal

The American Psychological Association released research on adolescents, indicating “that strong attachments to AI-generated characters may contribute to struggles with learning social skills and developing emotional connections.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Published in the journal Nutrients, the review looked at findings from 19 studies that explored links between diet and mental health in adolescents.

From Science Daily

Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics are being investigated regarding the premature use of adult cosmetics by children and adolescents.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• juvenile
• minor
• teenager
• tween
• youngster
• youth