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

See Examples For:

millennial millennials

Curry, who died Tuesday at 80, made a gleefully evil turn as a clown that sparked nightmares for legions of Gen X and millennial viewers that continue to haunt to this day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Like El-Sayed, Moss is a progressive millennial who has long been a rising star in Michigan Democratic politics.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

They became a staple of the indie scene through the 2000s, and fit in with the broader, decluttered millennial aesthetic that emerged in the 2010s.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

It’s worth considering whether elite campus environments normalize an organizational model that many of today’s millennial political leaders seek to replicate through public policy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

They formed a group that was prepared to receive the millennial knowledge Nicolas had acquired in the East.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Jeremy Moss and Abdul El-Sayed are young, diverse progressive millennials in Michigan who are on the ballot for federal office in November.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

What's also striking, according to Gupta, is that the Gen Z is driving it, spending roughly double what millennials did on skincare and personal care.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Meanwhile, 60% of “head of AI” hires in 2025 were millennials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

And this may be a timely message as so many millennials and Generation Z find themselves unable to afford to buy a home.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Vinyl records have seen a major resurgence ever since millennials brought the format back into mainstream culture in the 2010s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026