as in boy
a male person who has not yet reached adulthood the young boxer looked like a mere stripling next to his larger, more seasoned opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of stripling Mickey Mouse will celebrate his 100th birthday in 2028; now in its 46th year, ESPN is a mere stripling compared to the chipper murine in the funny red pants. —
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026 More important still, thrilling these ultra-cultured striplings means winning over mom and dad, too. —Devorah Lev-Tov, Robb Report, 25 June 2023 In Dunst’s hands, Antoinette is naturally happy, an excitable stripling full of life — the sort of protagonist you’d root for simply because the performer inhabiting her is so agreeable. —Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2021 Best-selling author Margaret George has just published a novel repackaging the Roman emperor Nero, whose name has evoked mayhem and recreational pyromania for the past 2,000 years, as a misunderstood stripling. —Joe Queenan, WSJ, 5 May 2017
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026 More important still, thrilling these ultra-cultured striplings means winning over mom and dad, too. —Devorah Lev-Tov, Robb Report, 25 June 2023 In Dunst’s hands, Antoinette is naturally happy, an excitable stripling full of life — the sort of protagonist you’d root for simply because the performer inhabiting her is so agreeable. —Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2021 Best-selling author Margaret George has just published a novel repackaging the Roman emperor Nero, whose name has evoked mayhem and recreational pyromania for the past 2,000 years, as a misunderstood stripling. —Joe Queenan, WSJ, 5 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stripling
Noun
-
The two boys look at each other and then take three snailish steps toward the open window of the Lincoln, the older with his arm flung horizontal like hazard tape across his brother's chest.— Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
-
Naqvi, a poster-boy of late-20th-century globalization, was a notable standard-bearer for this mission.— Hettie O'Brien, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This place was incredible, and got to enjoy it with some good lads.— Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
-
And all because of stories this very best lad had written!— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some of the investors and CEOs competing for teenagers have good reputations.— Theo Baker, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
-
Clark-Flory’s was a memoir, My Mother’s Daughter, about a DNA test connecting her with her sister, who her mom placed for adoption as a teenager at a home for unwed mothers in the 1960s.— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jesus never talked about children or the elderly and wisely remained a bachelor with no kids but did date casually and was apparently very good-looking.— John Kenney, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
-
But the status quo is upended by the arrival of Kyra Marshall (Anika Noni Rose), a woman with young kids who wants a stop sign for safety reasons.— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
He was brought to the center as an adolescent with a broken wing (possibly due to a collision with a car) and can no longer fly properly.— Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 1 Apr. 2026
-
An adolescent with severe menstrual pain and vomiting may first present to a pediatrician.— Sarah Berg, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stripling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/stripling. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
