prepubescent

American  

[pree-pyoo-bes-uhnt] / ˌpri pyuˈbɛs ənt /

adjective

1. of or relating to the years immediately preceding puberty, prepubertal.

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noun

1. a prepubescent boy or girl.

prepubescent British  

/ ˌpriːpjuːˈbɛsənt /

noun

1. a person who has not yet reached puberty

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adjective

1. not yet having reached puberty

Other Word Forms

• prepubescence noun

Etymology

Origin of prepubescent

First recorded in 1900–05; pre- + pubescent

Example Sentences

I mean, prepubescent strength versus John is one thing, but 14-year-olds?

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2025

Optimal bone health starts in utero, but our prepubescent years are key to setting our skeleton up for later life.

From Salon • May 1, 2024

Skaug pointed to data showing that, in most cases, gender dysphoria diagnosed in prepubescent children isn’t sustained in adolescence.

From Seattle Times • May 21, 2023

A better movie would have taken its familiar premise, of a nearly-incompetent spy who’s shown how to get the job done by his prepubescent pal, and leaned into it.

From New York Times • Jun. 25, 2020

Such public displays of affection can be embarrassing to a prepubescent girl like me who is not accustomed to being in the company of two married people who like each other.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg