Meanings
verbadolesce (third-person singular simple present adolesces, present participle adolescing, simple past and past participle adolesced)
present singular third person adolesces · participle present adolescing · participle past adolesced · past adolesced
- intransitiveto become adolescent; to pass through adolescence.
It is a young nation, still adolescing.
1 more example
The children are beginning to adolesce around the age of 12.
Origin
Back-formation from adolescence. First attested in 1859.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Esperanto adoleski
- adoleskicommence or progress through adolescence
Portuguese adolescer
- adolescercommence or progress through adolescence
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with adolesce
saddressaccesspressprocessyeslessexpresssuccessunlesscongressguessdressstressexcessSMSassesschessmessblesspossessdistressnessWes
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
adolesce. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adolesce
MLA
“adolesce.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adolesce. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “adolesce,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adolesce.
Source: adolesce on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.