millennial

American  

[mi-len-ee-uhl] / mɪˈlɛn i əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a millennium or the millennium.

2. worthy or suggestive of the millennium.

3. (often initial capital letter) noting or relating to the generation born in the 1980s or 1990s, especially in the U.S.

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noun

millennials plural

1. (often initial capital letter) a person born in the 1980s or 1990s, especially in the U.S.; a member of Generation Y.

   Millennials are facing a deep economic crisis.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• millennially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• millennials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of millennial

First recorded in 1655–65; millenni(um) + -al ¹

Explanation

Anything millennial has something to do with a span of a thousand years. If you're an English history buff, you might mark your calendar to celebrate the millennial anniversary of the 11th-century Norman Conquest — which will occur in 2066. Save the date! It sounds like "million," but millennial goes back to the Latin mille, or "thousand." It originally meant "pertaining to a period of 1,000 years," or "pertaining to a millennium." We still use it this way, referring to the 21st century and the new millennium: "The art museum put on a millennial show in 2000." It's most commonly used for the generation of people born between the early 1980s and about 2000: "Oh, those millennials and their avocado toast."

Example Sentences

"Hacks," the tale of a stand-up comedian trying to revive her career and the dysfunctional millennial assistant who helps her, leads the way with 24 nominations.

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

The other is younger, a millennial or Gen Z investor just coming into real money, who has decided from the start that how they invest should match who they are.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026

Recently, in the r/workingmoms Subreddit, one poster wondered if she stood alone as an elder millennial who doesn’t have a reverential nostalgia for childhood summers.

From Salon • Jun. 24, 2026

As a millennial and zillennial, I’ve done my share of weird self-diagnosing.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

I kind of scoffed or sighed or exhaled in a way that was vaguely coughy and then said, “I’m not beau—” “You’re like a millennial Natalie Portman. Like Vfor Vendetta Natalie Portman.”

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green