Meanings
plural young adults
- attributiveoftenA person who has achieved the age of majority but whose character and personality are still developing as they gain experience.
Near-synonyms: AYA; emerging adult
1 more example
Young adult actress Annie Jay wrote a book called Stars in Your Eyes, Feet on the Ground giving career advice for young adult actors.
Synonyms: YA, AYA, emerging adult
- attributivecapitalizedoftensometimesmediaAn adolescent; a genre of writing aimed primarily at this readership.
Emily said to shelve these books in Young Adult and to make a table display with some of them.
1 more example
My favorite young adult writer, Jen Derbyshire, just published her 50th paperback novel, the latest in an adventure series spanning fifteen years.
Synonyms: YA
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who has achieved the age of majority but whose character and personality are still developing as they gain experience.
nounAn adolescent; a genre of writing aimed primarily at this readership.
Translations
Dutch jongvolwassene
- jongvolwasseneperson who has achieved the age of majority but whose character and personality are still developing as they gain experience
Finnish nuori aikuinen
- nuori aikuinenperson who has achieved the age of majority but whose character and personality are still developing as they gain experience
French jeune adulte
- jeune adulteperson who has achieved the age of majority but whose character and personality are still developing as they gain experience
Polish młody dorosły
- młody dorosłyperson who has achieved the age of majority but whose character and personality are still developing as they gain experience
Cite this entry
young adult. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/young%20adult
“young adult.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/young%20adult. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “young adult,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/young%20adult.
Source: young adult on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.