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Synonyms

young adult

American  

noun

  1. a teenager (used especially by publishers and librarians).

  2. a person in the early years of adulthood.

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.

Young adult author Abiola Bello says the influence of BookTok is increasingly visible beyond the app, with retailers responding directly to online trends.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Young adult comedies are best when the misery of high school is paired with other extreme types of terror — a plane crash, a supernatural mystery, vampires.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025

Young adult novels get a bad rap, maybe because, even when we were teenagers, we wanted more from the stories we were given and assume the same lack from the Y.A. that exists today.

From New York Times • Mar. 13, 2024

Young adult superheroes need education too, and that’s the backdrop of the new Prime Video series “ Gen V,” a spin-off of “The Boys.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 14, 2023

Young adult coverage is a qualifying health insurance situation that prevents the child from having to pay the individual mandate.

From Encyclopedia.com • Jun. 26, 2018

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.