1
as in young
being in the early stage of life, growth, or development
an adolescent sheepdog, who hasn't quite gotten the hang of keeping the sheep huddled together
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in childish
having or showing the annoying qualities (as silliness) associated with children
would hope that the college students had outgrown such adolescent behavior
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in immature
lacking in adult experience or maturity
took a group of adolescent recruits and turned them into professional warriors
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in juvenile
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adolescent
Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 3 July 2025
The state also had the third-lowest share of adults who have visited a dentist in the past year (above West Virginia and Arkansas) and the second-lowest share of adolescents (above Florida).
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 3 July 2025
Injury and burnout were adult problems, far from my adolescent horizon.
—Ellen O'Connell Whittet
june 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Adjective
The comfortable, if routine, lives of Indiana adolescents are upset by the arrival of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), the psychokinetic spawn of a government experiment.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 3 July 2025
The state also had the third-lowest share of adults who have visited a dentist in the past year (above West Virginia and Arkansas) and the second-lowest share of adolescents (above Florida).
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Noun
The cells weren’t distributed uniformly, only showing up in half the adolescent samples and five of the 14 adult samples.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 3 July 2025
Injury and burnout were adult problems, far from my adolescent horizon.
—Ellen O'Connell Whittet
june 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adolescent
Adjective
-
Princess Mako, a niece of Japan's Emperor Naruhito (and whose younger brother is the likely next ruler of Japan), married her longtime love, Kei Komuro, in a simple ceremony at a registry office on Oct. 26, 2021.—
Alex Apatoff,
People.com,
15 July 2025
-
Note: Cal Raleigh’s dad was his pitcher, and his younger brother was his catcher in the Home Run Derby.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
The exchange ended with both men accusing the other of acting childish.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
-
Compiled from Candace Bushnell’s column of the same name from The New York Observer, the book is a dark and bizarre look at dating in 1990s New York, where men are pathologically childish, cruel, and self-centered, and women are domineering, striving, and manipulative.—
Alice Bolin
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
There are three immature stages that are black and white, with the fourth stage being red, black and white before becoming adults later in the summer.—
Kaycee Sloan,
The Enquirer,
14 July 2025
-
Tomatoes must reach their mature size before harvesting, as immature green tomatoes will never ripen.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
At least 41 of those cranes were reported to be juveniles, fresh new recruits from the breeding grounds in and around Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
-
Succi said first responders found that the driver of the vehicle and a juvenile in the backseat were trapped inside and needed to be extricated by fire crews.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Additionally, some dogs, particularly breeds with extreme infantile traits (such as pugs and French bulldogs), may appear as helpless, harmless, and innocent as small children.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
22 May 2025
-
For a long time, infantile amnesia was thought to be tied to an inability to make memories in infancy.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Not even teenagers yet, Ebel’s sons would be taking ground balls and shagging in the outfield during batting practice before the start of Dodger games.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
-
In 1987, flooding hit the Pot O' Gold Christian Camp in Comfort, Texas, killing 10 teenagers during a rushed evacuation, according to the outlet.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Routinely vacuuming and doing quick sweeps with your wet mop can help tide you over until the kids are back in school or your house becomes a little less of a thoroughfare.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
12 July 2025
-
The watch incentivizes kids to charge and wear their smartwatch with a gaming platform called Fitbit Arcade, and includes data in the very reasonable $10/month subscription plan.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
The fracas broke out when a group of youngsters tried to rob an older, more established group that was selling marijuana on the block, according to a police source with knowledge of the case.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
11 July 2025
-
The youngster is likely destined for the American League for his first taste of professional hockey, which isn’t a bad thing.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adolescent. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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