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.
“And nothing super dramatic happens. It’s a simple story about a young woman finding her place in the world. And that’s really close to life.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
As part of a generation of 'digital natives' who grew up with an instinctive understanding of social media, he has also shown an ability to connect with a young online audience.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
High-profile alleged violent attackers, like Allen, are increasingly highly educated young men.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
In Vader’s first two appearances Wednesday, he spoke of his quest to hunt down the young Jedi.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
As for our fellow refugees, maybe they had been too dazed, too traumatized, or just too tired to pay much attention to this young elephant that was wandering along with them.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
