younger

¹

[yuhng-ger]

adjective

1. comparative of young.

2. (usually initial capital letter),  (used to designate the junior of two related persons bearing the same name).

   Charles the Younger ruled after his father abdicated.

noun

1. the junior of two persons in age (often used with a possessive pronoun).

   Her brother is seven years her younger.

Younger

²

[yuhng-ger]

noun

1. Thomas Coleman Cole, 1844–1916, U.S. outlaw, associated with Jesse James.

Word History and Origins

Origin of younger¹

First recorded before 1000; young ( def. ) + -er ⁴ ( def. )

Example Sentences

“That’s another indication that you have younger athletes being exposed to more senior instruction.”

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But as top runners take a more professional approach at younger ages, they’re seeking every conceivable marginal gain.

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One night during the season, bored of the hotel, he asked to stay in the younger son’s room.

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The baby boomers older than them didn’t have the same access, and the millennials younger than them had greater awareness of the long shadow debt can cast.

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In a documentary, “Unafraid,” Xenarios and Anderson describe their younger selves as “angry, idealistic, progressive,” and they assembled a staff of like-minded women who saw their work as an integral part of the women’s movement.

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Related Words

• inconsequential 
• lesser 
• negligible 
• petty 
• secondary 
• slight 
• trivial 
• unimportant