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
The post-Mass young adult discussion group, once a gathering of about 25, now draws upward of 200.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
“I think this was supposed to be their first foray into quote-unquote young adult programming,” said Michel Ghanem, who writes about television.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
It’s all but impossible to reach that number all by yourself by the time you’re a young adult.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
