adolescence
noun
ad·o·les·cence ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊn(t)s 
1
: the period of life when a child develops into an adult : the period from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority (see majority sense 2a)
He struggled through his adolescence.
2
: the state or process of growing up
3
: a stage of development (as of a language or culture) prior to maturity
Synonyms
- minority
- nonage
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Their children are on the verge of adolescence. He struggled through his adolescence.
Recent Examples on the Web Her adolescence was the perfectly imperfect recipe for a salsa- and rock-loving music enthusiast who planned to take the Latin music industry by storm through rap. 
Katelina Eccleston, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2022 Sarah Jo’s coming-of-age takes place in a laboratory-like compression of what, for most people, is the decade-plus of adolescence and early adulthood. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2022 In Inside Out, Pixar shows us how adolescence can be a confusing, emotional time by taking us inside the brain of the 11-year-old Riley. Meg Walters, EW.com, 28 July 2022 Watching the films in order was like waltzing through my adolescence and early adulthood. Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2022 But a company’s explosive adolescence is not the proper frame of reference for valuation going forward. George Calhoun, Forbes, 1 June 2022 Her adolescence was a challenge even after the Jeongs moved into the middle-class tax bracket. Tracy Ross, Outside Online, 28 Jan. 2020 Her inevitable transformation into an abrasive, hypersexual, rebellious loner (with fur and fangs) is of course a metaphor for the horrors of adolescence. Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2022 Like the main character in Big, the girls are convinced that the solution to the problems of adolescence is … skipping past it. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 July 2022 See More
Katelina Eccleston, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2022 Sarah Jo’s coming-of-age takes place in a laboratory-like compression of what, for most people, is the decade-plus of adolescence and early adulthood. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2022 In Inside Out, Pixar shows us how adolescence can be a confusing, emotional time by taking us inside the brain of the 11-year-old Riley. Meg Walters, EW.com, 28 July 2022 Watching the films in order was like waltzing through my adolescence and early adulthood. Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2022 But a company’s explosive adolescence is not the proper frame of reference for valuation going forward. George Calhoun, Forbes, 1 June 2022 Her adolescence was a challenge even after the Jeongs moved into the middle-class tax bracket. Tracy Ross, Outside Online, 28 Jan. 2020 Her inevitable transformation into an abrasive, hypersexual, rebellious loner (with fur and fangs) is of course a metaphor for the horrors of adolescence. Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2022 Like the main character in Big, the girls are convinced that the solution to the problems of adolescence is … skipping past it. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin adolēscentia, adulēscentia, noun derivative of adolēscent-, adolēscens adolescent entry 2
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Kids Definition
adolescence
noun
ad·o·les·cence ˌa-də-ˈle-sᵊns
: the period of life between childhood and adulthood
Medical Definition
adolescence
noun
ad·o·les·cence ˌad-ᵊl-ˈes-ᵊn(t)s
1
: the state or process of growing up
2
: the period of life from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority
adolescence
noun
as in infancy
the transitional period between childhood and adulthood adolescence can be a turbulent time for teenagers and parents alike Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- infancy
- youth
- minority
- boyhood
- maturity
- preadolescence
- nonage
- manhood
- womanhood
- heyday
- girlhood
- prime
- babyhood
- majority
- bloom
- flush