young adult

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a category of fiction that is primarily intended for adolescent readers
young adult fiction/literature
We live in an era of blockbuster young adult book series: Harry Potter, Twilight, now the Hunger Games.Leah Wilson
Early in her four-year career as the young adult librarian of the Huckaby Public Library, Veronica Garde observed that most of the staff had a sliding scale of courtesy toward library users, teenagers being given the shortest shrift.A. J. Anderson
abbreviation YA

Examples of young adult in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ferreira plays a young adult just termed out of the foster care system. Graham Womack, Sacramento Bee, 27 Feb. 2025 In September 2025, The Academy, her first young adult novel, co-written with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, will hit bookstores. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 Created by Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz and based on a young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar, Gossip Girl ran for six seasons from 2007 to 2012. Michele Corriston, People.com, 27 Feb. 2025 The Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress had a very iconic career on the small screen starring in iconic young adult series and movies like Gossip Girl and Trachtenberg was found dead on February 26, 2025, in New York City. Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for young adult

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of young adult was in 1942

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Cite this Entry

“Young adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/young%20adult. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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