being in the first or early stage of life or growth; youthful; not old.
a young woman.
having the appearance, freshness, vigor, or other qualities of youth.
of or relating to youth.
in one's young days.
inexperienced or immature.
not far advanced in years in comparison with another or others.
junior, as applied to the younger of two persons having the same name.
the young Mr. Smith.
being in an early stage generally, as of existence, progress, operation, development, or maturity; new; early.
a young wine; It is a young company, not yet firmly established.
representing or advocating recent or progressive tendencies, policies, or the like.
those who have youth; young persons collectively.
the educated young of today; a game for young and old.
young offspring.
a mother hen protecting her young.
Andrew (Jackson, Jr.), born 1932, U.S. clergyman, Black civil rights leader, politician, and diplomat: mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, 1981–89.
Art(hur Henry), 1866–1944, U.S. cartoonist and author.
Brigham, 1801–77, U.S. leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Charles, 1864–1922, U.S. army colonel: highest-ranking Black officer in World War I.
Denton True Cy, 1867–1955, U.S. baseball player.
Edward, 1683–1765, English poet.
Ella, 1867–1956, Irish poet and mythologist in the U.S.
Lester Willis PresPrez, 1909–59, U.S. jazz tenor saxophonist.
Owen D., 1874–1962, U.S. lawyer, industrialist, government administrator, and financier.
Stark, 1881–1963, U.S. drama critic, novelist, and playwright.
Thomas, 1773–1829, English physician, physicist, mathematician, and Egyptologist.
Whitney M., Jr., 1921–71, U.S. social worker and educator: executive director of the National Urban League 1961–71.
Brigham (ˈbrɪɡəm). 1801–77, US Mormon leader, who led the Mormon migration to Utah and founded Salt Lake City (1847)
Edward. 1683–1765, English poet and dramatist, noted for his Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality (1742–45)
Lester. 1909–59, US saxophonist and clarinetist. He was a leading early exponent of the tenor saxophone in jazz
Neil ( Percival ). born 1945, Canadian rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His albums include Harvest (1972), Rust Never Sleeps (1979), Ragged Glory (1990), and Prairie Wind (2005)
Thomas. 1773–1829, English physicist, physician, and Egyptologist. He helped to establish the wave theory of light by his experiments on optical interference and assisted in the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone
having lived, existed, or been made or known for a relatively short time
a young man
a young movement
a young country
( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the young
youthful or having qualities associated with youth; vigorous or lively
she's very young for her age
of or relating to youth
in my young days
having been established or introduced for a relatively short time
a young member
in an early stage of progress or development; not far advanced
the day was young
geography
(of mountains) formed in the Alpine orogeny and still usually rugged in outline
another term for youthful
(often capital) of or relating to a rejuvenated group or movement or one claiming to represent the younger members of the population, esp one adhering to a political ideology
Young England
Young Socialists
(functioning as plural) offspring, esp young animals
a rabbit with her young
(of animals) pregnant
Young, youthful, juvenile all refer to lack of age. Young is the general word for that which is undeveloped, immature, and in process of growth: a young colt, child; young shoots of wheat. Youthful has connotations suggesting the favorable characteristics of youth, such as vigor, enthusiasm, and hopefulness: youthful sports, energy, outlook. Juvenile may suggest less desirable characteristics, such as childishness, petulance, idleness, selfishness, or heedlessness ( juvenile behavior ), or it may refer simply to the years, up to the later teens, before legal responsibility: juvenile delinquency; juvenile court; juvenile books.
First recorded before 900; Middle English yong(e), Old English geong; cognate with Dutch jong, German jung, Old Norse ungr, Gothic jungs; akin to Latin juvenis
Use the adjective young to describe a person who hasn't been alive very long or doesn't have much life experience. You might feel much wiser and more sophisticated than your young cousins — even if you secretly enjoy playing games with them. As a noun, young generally means "animal babies," like when a mother duck and her young cross the street, though it can also refer collectively to young people: "The young recover so quickly from being sick." When you describe someone as young, you typically mean that they're immature, youthful, or simply not as old as you might expect: "Kids are getting phones so young these days!"
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many young people have left rural communities to work in towns and cities, abandoning farmland that historically provided some of the best protection against fires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
“The entire defense is just very young compared to last year,” defensive tackle Jide Abasiri said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
So, Leeds would be paying for the high ceiling of a young goalkeeper whose highlights have largely come in the Championship with Burnley when he conceded only 16 goals in 45 matches.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Once an account holder reaches age 18, many young adults will also be in one of the lowest tax brackets they’ll ever experience,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
They soon met a runaway young woman, who, after a brief explanation, agreed to help in bringing the old gentleman home.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
And the Dodgers are one of the few teams that could reasonably part with the prospect capital it would take to acquire the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
"This policy is not exclusion, it is structured inclusion," said Payne Farai Kupfuwa, founder of the Young Miners Foundation, welcoming the move.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Young midifelders Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba have sinced arrived from Ajax and Monaco respectively.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Ernst & Young offers a gamified accounting simulation on college campuses that lets prospective interns test their decision-making skills and get feedback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Young Ju, Apa says, time to get out of bed now.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
"We look to expand our market, targeting new consumers that have more sensibility to price and maybe are younger and more interested in having something technology" integrated, said Milleri during a conference call.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Cracker Barrel’s outgoing CEO, Julie Masino, 55 years old, sought to update the chain’s look and menu to reach a younger audience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The younger McCreary was the propelling wordsmith on “One Fine Day.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
There were concerns about the chain’s ability to win over younger consumers, after serving an older generation for decades.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
I will simply be a teenage girl walking along the street, holding hands with a younger child.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Kelly Renner, an adviser in Augusta, Ga., said the youngest client their firm has seen do a conversion was 22.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
In 1998, scientific analysis of a DNA sample from Dorothy’s maternal uncle confirmed that her third great-grandfather, Eston, was Jefferson’s youngest child by Hemings.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
At 17, Amankwaah is the youngest gymnast in Team England's squad and she is set to compete in the uneven bars, beam and floor beginning on Friday.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Chey and Roh both attended their youngest daughter’s wedding in October 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The demand was so great that the two youngest sisters traveled separately so they could bring the spirits to different cities at the same time.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
