adolescent
n. countablen. a young person who is developing from a child into an adult. You use this word to talk about someone in their teenage years.
n. a young person in the transitional stage of physical and psychological development between puberty and adulthood. Often used in psychological, medical, or formal sociological contexts.
The program helps every adolescent in the community find a summer job.
Researchers studied how the brain of a typical adolescent responds to social rewards compared to that of an adult.
While the law treats them as minors, many an adolescent possesses the cognitive capacity to make complex decisions regarding their own education and future career path.
First attested ?1440, from Middle English adolescent, from Middle French adolescent or directly from Latin adolescentem, accusative form of adolescens, present participle of adolēscere (“to become adult, grow up”), from ad- (“to”) + alēscere (“to grow or become nourished”). The adjective first appeared in 1785.
Frequently used as a more formal or scientific alternative to 'teenager'.
the adolescent of the projectthe adolescence of the projectLearners often confuse the noun for the person (adolescent) with the noun for the period of time (adolescence).