Proteen

A teenager who is well adept at the art of being a teen. This teen brings it to a professional level.

My son has really got his shit together these days. He's become an impressive proteen.

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Proteen

Combining "pro" (forward) with "teen," suggesting moving forward from the teenage years but not quite fully in the young adult phase. This applies to 18 and 19 year olds.

Alex: "I’m not sure what to call my younger sister these days. She’s 18, so she’s technically still a teenager, but she’s also taking on a lot more adult responsibilities."

Jordan: "Yeah, I get that. My brother is 19 and in the same boat. I've started calling him a 'proteen.'"

Alex: "Proteen? I haven’t heard that one before. What does it mean?"

Jordan: "It’s a mix of 'pro' and 'teen,' like they're moving forward from being teenagers but aren’t fully young adults yet. It’s similar to how we use 'preteen' for kids who are almost teenagers."