adolescence
ad-uh-LESS-uns
/ˌæd.əˈles.əns/
The transitional stage of physical and psychological human development between puberty and legal adulthood.
Describes both the physiological changes of puberty and the social-cultural identity formation period.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'adolescere' (to grow up), formed from 'ad-' (to) and 'alere' (to nourish). G. Stanley Hall popularized adolescence as a distinct academic subject with his landmark 1904 textbook.
Word relationships
- youth: Youth is a broad general term, whereas adolescence denotes a specific developmental stage following childhood.
- senescence: Senescence represents the biological aging and terminal stage of life.
Commonly confused with
- puberty: Puberty is purely physiological sexual maturation, whereas adolescence encompasses broad psychological and social expansion.
Word family
- adolescent (noun): A young person in the stage of adolescence.
- adolescent (adjective): Relating to or characteristic of adolescence.
Collocations
- early adolescence
- late adolescence
- prolonged adolescence
- adolescence development
Example sentences
- "During adolescence, peer relationships become central to identity formation and emotional regulation." Developmental psychology research
Memory hook
AD-O-LESS-ENCE: ADDING mature traits while becoming LESS dependent on parents. The bridge from child to adult.
When not to use
Do not use as a synonym for simple physiological puberty; adolescence encompasses social and cognitive identity development.
Fun facts
- Adolescence as a recognized social concept did not exist in medieval times; children were considered miniature adults as soon as they could work.
Related words
Explore more words
adolescent, puberty, juvenile, transition, mature, upbringing
Also appears in
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.