adolescent

Word family

• adolescence
  nounC1
• adolescently
  adverb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a young person, but each picks a different angle. 'Teenager' is the everyday word, used by parents, teachers, and friends; it strictly covers ages 13 to 19, which the suffix '-teen' makes obvious. 'Adolescent' is more formal and a bit clinical, common in books on health, psychology, and education — a school nurse might say 'adolescents need privacy', where a friend would say 'teenagers'. 'Youth' is broader and slightly literary; it can stretch into the early twenties and often appears in news writing about crime or social issues ('two youths were seen running away'). 'Minor' is a legal label for anyone under the age of majority and says nothing about how grown-up the person looks or acts. Compare: a hospital opens 'an adolescent ward', a film is rated 'unsuitable for minors', and parents complain that 'teenagers eat everything in the fridge'.

Common collocations

Etymology

From Latin 'adolescere', meaning 'to grow up' or 'to mature', formed from 'ad-' (towards) plus 'alescere' (to be nourished, to grow). The word entered English through French in the 15th century, first as an adjective describing the years of growing up, and later as a noun for the young person passing through that stage. The critical, modern sense — calling an adult's behaviour 'adolescent' — developed in the 20th century as psychology popularised the idea of adolescence as an emotional life-stage.