tweenager

See also: 'tweenager

English

Etymology

Blend of 'tween +‎ teenager. Attested as early as the 1950s, but popularized in the late 20th or early 21st century.

Noun

tweenager (plural tweenagers)

1. Alternative spelling of 'tweenager
2. A young person who is not yet a teenager (being less than thirteen years old), but starting to act like one: generally eight to twelve years old.
   • 1994, Mary Manz Simon, How to Parent Your “Tweenager”, page 6:

     Your eight to twelve year old is in the gray area between early childhood and the teen years. He is a child in the middle—a “tweenager.”

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:preteen

Related terms

• tween

References

• “tweenager”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• Michael Quinnion (2001 April 28) “Tweenager”, in World Wide Words