adolescent
Americanadjective
-
growing to manhood or womanhood; youthful.
-
having the characteristics of adolescence or of an adolescent.
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to adolescence
-
informal behaving in an immature way; puerile
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a study published in Science Advances on January 14, the researchers found that the adolescent brain does not simply eliminate connections.
From Science Daily
But as always, these writers-directors present an unvarnished look at life on the margins, following a group of adolescent mothers, some of them single.
From Los Angeles Times
Social media harms the mental health of adolescents, particularly girls, France's health watchdog said Tuesday as the country debates banning children under 15 from accessing the immensely popular platforms.
From Barron's
The findings, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, add to growing evidence that sleep plays a critical role in adolescent mental health.
From Science Daily
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s child and adolescent immunization schedules, developed in public meetings and scientific papers by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, have now been fully rewritten.
From Barron's
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.
