adultescent
n. A middle-aged person who continues to participate in and enjoy youth culture.
Etymology
Examples
2001
PlayStation2 and X-Box are all very well. But for die-hard video-game connoiseurs the Golden Age ended on 1 February, when Sega announced that the Dreamcast was to cease production after just three years. Stung by Sony's success since 1995 with PlayStation, the veteran video-game firm had put all its energies into a final charge on the hearts and minds of kids and adultescents with an affordable, technologically advanced new console.
—Peter Lyle, “Farewell 2001,” Independent on Sunday, December 30, 2001
1997
The main target is the so-called youth market. But Mr Jones points out that this has expanded over recent years, at least partly due to the arrival of "adultescents" (people past the usual cut-off point of 30 with a youthful outlook).
—Roger Trapp, “A new handle on the British cuppa,” The Independent, March 16, 1997
1996 (earliest)
Communicating to pre-family adults should be the easiest thing in the world for marketers. After all, most of them fit into the 20 to 34-year-old age profile, even if some do have children. But the adultescent marketplace presents problems for three reasons.
—“Hey, big spender…,” Precision Marketing, June 17, 1996
Notes
It's micro-scooters and Wheatus CDs ago-go for the "adulescents", or "kidults" — those whose clothes, activities and interests are exactly the same as those of youth culture.
—Tim Brannigan, “Eternal flames,” Irish News, August 10, 2001
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