youthful
Americanadjective
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characterized by youth; young.
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of, relating to, or befitting youth.
youthful enthusiasm.
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having the appearance, freshness, vigor, etc., of youth.
She is 60 but her optimism has kept her youthful.
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in an early period of existence; early in time.
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Physical Geography. (of topographical features) having undergone erosion to a slight extent only.
adjective
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of, relating to, possessing, or characteristic of youth
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fresh, vigorous, or active
he's surprisingly youthful for his age
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in an early stage of development
a youthful culture
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Also: young. (of a river, valley, or land surface) in the early stage of the cycle of erosion, characterized by steep slopes, lack of flood plains, and V-shaped valleys Compare mature old
Synonym Usage
See young.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of youthful
Explanation
Use the adjective youthful to describe someone who is young or who acts as though they are — like your surprisingly youthful grandma, who just signed up for a hiphop dance class and rides her skateboard around the neighborhood. This word is handy for talking about the general characteristics of young people, like youthful energy, youthful stubbornness, or youthful enthusiasm. You might also say someone looks youthful if they appear younger than they are. Someone who acts youthful might enjoy swinging on the swings at the playground, even if they're no longer a kid. At the heart of youthful is youth, "the period between childhood and adulthood."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There is a growing buzz around the youthful vice president.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
The next step in convincing skeptical buyers and analysts will be less about selling the new Jaguar as a youthful, creative company, and more about explaining the car’s full driver-friendly capabilities, Glover said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Instead of relying on stem cells, existing cartilage cells called chondrocytes changed their patterns of gene activity and shifted toward a more youthful state.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
He was given the goal of converting youthful promise into qualification for Euro 2028, which will be staged in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
We learned various warning signals of youthful disconnection and disturbances.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
