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coming of age

coming of age

20 4.1
The time when a young person becomes an adult and starts adult life
  • noun
translation icon : mayoría de edad
  • The novel beautifully captures the struggles and triumphs of a teenager's coming of age into adulthood.
  • coming of age ceremony
  • coming of age story
  • mark the coming of age

OK, well, what is the coming of age, the hero's journey?

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Examples

  • Mothers play a significant role in preparing their daughters for the coming-of-age ceremony.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Of course, Stand By Me was a very important period for all of us because it really was the coming of age that you see on the screen.

  • Which is, to my mind at least, this beautiful story about coming of age, but also about family.

  • But girls too, coming of age is dangerous.

  • His weekend was spent coming of age in every sense.

  • The story of the 2008 election was the coming of age of online politics.

    Blog text (23)
  • But once it is revealed, the book becomes much less of a coming of age story and more of a really philosophical work.

  • I'm here to honor your coming of age.

  • It's a fascinating film, coming of age against all odds.

  • My coming-of-age story is complete.

Synonyms

maturity
vscoming of age
101 3.3

A state of being fully grown in body, mind, or feelings

emphasizes the transitional passage into social responsibility rather than the simple developed state
adulthood
vscoming of age
61 3.1

The time in life when a person is fully grown and has more responsibilities

highlights the moment or process of becoming responsible rather than the long period
maturation
vscoming of age
11 5.3

Becoming fully grown and developed, for example in people or wine

focuses on social transition to responsibilities rather than internal growth

Antonyms

687 1.0

The time in life when someone is a child before becoming a teenager

14 4.8

A state of not being fully grown in body or feelings

How Mature

maturity
101 3.3
adulthood
61 3.1
coming of age
20 4.1
adolescence
60 3.9
childhood
687 1.0

Surface Forms

coming of age singular

Morphology

coming + of + age

The phrase's meaning ('reaching maturity') is directly derivable from 'coming' (arrival) + 'of' + 'age' (the years or status when adult rights begin): it literally describes the arrival/attainment of a certain age or adulthood. This compositional meaning is cross-linguistically common and follows an obvious semantic logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Coming of age may come from old ceremonies where a young person made a public coming forward to show they had reached a certain age and could take on adult duties. That's why the phrase is used for the moment or process of 'becoming an adult'.