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

On the main floor is a room dedicated to books for both young adult and adult readers, including genres like nonfiction, fiction, romance, historical fiction, thrillers and more. — Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026

Robinson previously published six young adult novels under the pen name Riley Redgate. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

No fewer than 14 books by young adult author Ellen Hopkins made the list. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026

In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement urging doctors to offer medications for opioid use disorder to adolescent and young adult patients who needed them. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above