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
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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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adolescent
Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
The film weaves together adolescent friendship with the social impact of solar energy development in rural communities.
—Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Mar. 2026
The brave teen tried to deescalate the situation but Rivas, 45, turned the knife on the boy instead, stabbing the adolescent in the neck, shoulder and cheek, prosecutors said.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Adjective
The point is that protection against MenB is separate from the routine adolescent meningitis vaccine.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
The film weaves together adolescent friendship with the social impact of solar energy development in rural communities.
—Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Noun
Unfolding in 1870s Oxford with adventures abroad, the series will expose the early antics of the anarchic adolescent who is yet to evolve into Baker Street’s most renowned resident.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Mar. 2026
The brave teen tried to deescalate the situation but Rivas, 45, turned the knife on the boy instead, stabbing the adolescent in the neck, shoulder and cheek, prosecutors said.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adolescent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adolescent
Adjective
-
Szeemann’s two Venice Biennales followed a decade of frantic exhibition-making across the globe, by Szeemann himself and by young professionals proud to call themselves independent curators.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The legislation would require social media platforms to estimate the age of users and exclude obscene content to children 16 years old or younger.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
-
However, this is a childish fantasy.—
Dr. Michael Good,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Yet this widely available gourd—harvested and eaten while still immature, in fact, for ripe cucumbers are yellow and bitter—is not the entirety of the plant.—
Andrés Muedano,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Mar. 2026
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Preterm and low-birth-weight babies are at higher risk than full-term babies of developing NEC, potentially because of their immature digestive systems, according to the National Institutes of Health.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Morris and the other juvenile ran away, while the 16-year-old boy made his way to Banta Place and State Street, where he was found by police officers responding to reports of an injured person, officials said.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Officers learned that the driver of a Subaru, identified as 46-year-old Dominic Meucci of Wethersfield, was allegedly yelling at two people who were operating electric bikes in the parking lot, one of which was a juvenile, police said.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Among them was a treatment option for infantile hypophosphatasia, a rare form of rickets that makes children’s bones dangerously fragile.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
This suggests that the immune system may be involved in infantile amnesia.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Mullin will also face congressional Democrats’ wrath as lawmakers on Capitol Hill have already begun to investigate DHS for the massive contracts to individuals and companies that were inexperienced, had connections to Noem’s staff, or contained other irregularities.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Schaeffer won over most of the Rockies players quickly, but, fielding a young, inexperienced team, Colorado limped toward the finish line, going 4-21 in September.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
According to attorneys, Coleman, his teammate, and two other teenagers were passing around a gun for fun when it was accidentally fired.—
Adi Guajardo,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The core audience is not teenagers.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Watch this video for tips on finding age-appropriate books for kids.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The former Fortune 100 company marketing executive rescued a white rabbit that a family with kids no longer wanted.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adolescent. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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