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.
To young tennis players like Torrecampo, Eala is an inspiration.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
"The young men bravely confronted them to defend their homes and lands, which was only natural given the frequency of these attacks," Saifi said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
The results show that broad elevated ridges, called rift flanks, develop along the sides of rift valleys when the rifts are geologically young.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
That is a core voting bloc for Modi, who came to national office in 2014 on the promise of meeting the economic aspirations of India’s young people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
I made friends, held hands in a circle, mumbled along to “Kumbaya,” and now here I am in the cramped aisle of a commercial jet, traveling by myself like a fancy, mature young woman.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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
Garrett joins a front that includes outside linebacker Byron Young and interior linemen Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford and ….
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Young workers care for the queen and developing larvae.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
Young boys and men appear to be over-represented in the stats.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Young as I was, I knew that fear is never funny.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"Especially with a lot of younger players on the pitch, and off it as well, being able to speak to them and make them feel comfortable, it's something I really like."
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
According to ABC 7, a couple spotted Jackie sparring with two younger eagles on the lake shore last Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
When James’s co-star Luka Doncic went down injured before the Lakers’ postseason, most observers expected them to bow out quickly against the younger, fresher, and statistically better Houston Rockets in the first round.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“We often judge our younger selves using knowledge, maturity and resources that we did not possess at the time,” Penberthy says.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Father is younger, but Caesar is equally strong.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Chey and Roh both attended their youngest daughter’s wedding in October 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie‘s youngest daughter, Vivienne, is seeking to drop “Pitt” from her name, according to People.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Even Trump’s youngest son, then a first-year student at New York University, was part of the group.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Downton Abbey” welcomed Tom Branson, a working-class Irishman, into their home and family when the youngest Crawley daughter, Sybil, eloped with him.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Just fourteen years old, he was now officially ranked as a chess master, the youngest person ever to achieve that ranking in the United States.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
