Meaning & use
coming of age moment
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A specific event or experience that marks a young person's transition into adulthood or maturity.
Grammar: Countable: you can have one moment or several moments.
Patterns
- a coming of age moment for someone
- someone's coming of age moment
For many teenagers, getting their first job is a coming of age moment.
The film captures the coming of age moment when the protagonist must choose between family and freedom.
Word forms
| plural | coming of age moments |
|---|
Common combinations
- a true coming of age moment
- Graduating from high school was a true coming of age moment for her.
- experience a coming of age moment
- He experienced a coming of age moment when he moved to a new city alone.
- classic coming of age moment
- The first kiss is a classic coming of age moment in many novels.
- coming of age moment in literature
- The author is known for depicting a coming of age moment in literature.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rite of passage
- A rite of passage is a formal or traditional ceremony marking a change in status, while a coming of age moment is often more personal and informal.
- milestone
- A milestone is any significant event, not necessarily related to growing up; a coming of age moment specifically concerns maturity.
Word family
- coming of age noun
- The general process or time of becoming an adult.
Commonly confused: coming of age moment or coming of age?
coming of age moment vs coming of age
The phrase 'coming of age' refers to the whole period or genre, while 'coming of age moment' pinpoints a single event.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'coming of age moment' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses the phrase as a countable noun with an article. The others misuse it grammatically.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “coming of age moment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.