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

"We're not so stuck in our ways," she said of millennial voters.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Perhaps Schiller, a millennial in her 30s, hopes they will identify with her personal struggles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 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

The stove was one of those excellent and economical devices perfected by the Gethenians in their millennial effort to outwit cold.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Like many millennials, I grew up at the peak of the American abstinence education movement and the American evangelical obsession with virginity.

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

Spotify reported a surge interest in audiobook translations of "The Odyssey": searches skyrocketed by 310 percent, with Gen Z and millennials leading the demand.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

For millennials like Tasmiyah Manan from Oakwood in north Leeds, South Asian broadcasting didn't just entertain; it shaped how she understood herself.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

The company updated the brand’s logo and packaging, launched a new marketing campaign targeting millennials and Gen Z consumers and rolled out $1 packs of key donut and cake products.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

About 10% of millennials used family support to fund their down payment.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026