Coming of age defines the transition from childhood to adulthood, marked by physical, psychological, and social changes, involving increased responsibility, independence, and self-discovery, often celebrated through cultural rituals, legal milestones (like turning 18 or 21), or personal maturation, as seen in the popular literary and film genre focusing on adolescent struggles and growth.
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual or spiritual event.
Coming of age refers to the transition from childhood to adulthood, a period marked by the biological changes of puberty and by social and legal changes such as specific rights and responsibilities that are eventually accorded to the individual when they are no longer legally a minor, often at age eighteen.
The 20-40 age group is broadly called Young Adults, encompassing the "20-somethings" (vicenarians) and "30-somethings" (tricenarians), often aligning with the Millennial generation, though specific labels vary by context (e.g., social science, marketing, or demographic research).
Jewish Coming of Age Tradition: Bar and Bat Mitzvah
Around the world, young Jewish boys and girls celebrate their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs at age 13 and 12 in order to demonstrate their commitment to their faith and recognize that they are now responsible for following Jewish law.
Coming-of-age is one of the happiest and most extraordinary events in life. Many young people dress up for the occasion and have their photos taken. Watching the new adults from the side are parents who raised and nurtured them. Coming-of-age Day is a day celebrating youths becoming adults.
We often think of coming of age or initiation stories as a journey from adolescence to adulthood, but some adults reach legal age without becoming a mature person. They can undergo a coming of age story much later.
Zoomers (Generation Z) are people born between 1997 and 2012, making them approximately 13 to 28 years old in 2025, a digitally native cohort that followed Millennials and precedes Generation Alpha, known for growing up with the internet and smartphones.
A person between 50 and 59 is called a quinquagenarian. A person between 60 and 69 is called a sexagenarian. A person between 70 and 79 is called a septuagenarian. A person between 80 and 89 is called an octogenarian.
Instead of viewing midlife as a loss, turning 40 can be seen as a period of growth and renewal. Aging can enhance emotional resilience and well-being. Midlife often brings a desire to strengthen social ties and give back. Lifelong learning and pursuing personal interests keep life dynamic and engaging.
Adulthood prime (maximal performance age) begins when growth in height terminates or the velocity slows to an almost imperceptible rate. For women this occurs, on average, by 18-20 years and for men the typical ages are 20-23 years. The Prime adult years continue until about age 30-35 years in both sexes.
Such a child may seem “spacey”, detached, distant, or out of touch with reality. Complexly traumatized children are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, such as self-harm, unsafe sexual practices, and excessive risk-taking such as operating a vehicle at high speeds.
The typical age of attaining adulthood for humans is 18 years, although definition may vary by country. A person may be physically mature and a biological adult by age 16 or so, but not defined as an adult by law until older ages.
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coming-of-age. development. maturation. maturity. growth.
The stages of adulthood examined here include: Early Adulthood (ages 22--34). Early Middle Age (ages 35--44), Late Middle Age (ages 45--64), and Late Adulthood (ages 65 and older).
Mid90s (stylized as mid90s) is a 2018 American coming-of-age comedy-drama skate film written and directed by Jonah Hill, in his feature directorial debut. The plot follows Stevie, a 13-year-old boy in 1990s Los Angeles. To escape a troubled home life, he begins spending time with an older group of skateboarders.
Supercentenarians
pentagenarian (plural pentagenarians) (rare) A person between 50 and 59 years old.
A quadragenarian is someone in their 40s (40 to 49 years old), or someone who is 40 years old. Quadragenarian can also be used as an adjective to describe someone in their 40s, as in I never thought I'd be a quadragenarian grandmother, or things related to such a person, as in I have entered my quadragenarian years.
Donald Trump, born in June 1946, falls squarely into the Baby Boomer generation (typically 1946-1964) as one of the first individuals in that cohort, while President Joe Biden, born in 1942, is a member of the preceding Silent Generation (roughly 1928-1946). Trump's birth year places him at the very beginning of the Baby Boom era, making him a Boomer, not Silent Generation.
Whilst boomers and millennials may use the 😂 emoji, this has long since been deemed 'uncool' (or 'cheugy') by Gen Z. Instead, this has been replaced by the skull (💀) or the crying emoji (😭), dramatising the idea of 'dying with laughter'.
The four most commonly discussed generations today, moving from oldest to youngest, are Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), Millennials (Gen Y, 1981-1996), and Generation Z (1997-2012), with the newer Generation Alpha (2010s-mid-2020s) following Gen Z, all defined by distinct cultural and technological experiences shaping their values and behaviors.
The observed age pattern for daily stress was remarkably strong: stress was relatively high from age 20 through 50, followed by a precipitous decline through age 70 and beyond.
Thus, Bildungsroman directly translates to “a novel of education.” It's also important to know that a Bildungsroman novel is not the same as a coming-of-age novel. While they're both similar, they're not interchangeable. Coming-of-age novels can consist of any story and can fall within many different genres.
Five markers of the transition to of adulthood are examined: leaving school, leaving home, working full-year full-time, finding a conjugal partner and having children.