- 1 having lived or existed for only a short time; not fully developed young babies a young country Caterpillars eat the young leaves of this plant. a young wine The night is still young (= it has only just started). opposite old
- 2 not yet old; not as old as others young people talented young football players I am the youngest of four sisters. In his younger days he played rugby for Wales. I met the young Michelle Obama at Princeton. Her grandchildren keep her young. My son's thirteen but he's young for his age (= not as developed as other boys of the same age). They married young (= at an early age). My mother died young. opposite old Wordfinderageadolescent, age, elderly, generation, infant, juvenile, middle-aged, minor, teenage, young Wordfinderyoungadolescent, immature, mixed up, naive, puberty, rebellious, sulky, tearaway, teenager, young Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, feel, look, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … phrasesyoung at heart, young for your age See full entry See related entries: Youth
- 3 consisting of young people or young children; with a low average age They have a young family. a young audience
- 4suitable or appropriate for young people synonym youthful young fashion The clothes she wears are much too young for her.
- 5young man/lady/woman used to show that you are angry or annoyed with a particular young person I think you owe me an apology, young lady!
- 6the younger used before or after a person’s name to distinguish them from an older relative the younger Kennedy (British English, formal) William Pitt the younger compare elder, junior Word OriginOld English g(e)ong, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch jong and German jung, also to youth; from an Indo-European root shared by Latin juvenis.Extra examples He seemed quite young to have so much responsibility. He still looks young for his age. He’s over 70, but he’s young at heart. I felt young again. She looked young enough to be his daughter. She still looks very young. Fruit Fresh is a young company that is growing fast. I met the young Bill Clinton at Oxford. In his younger days he played rugby for Wales. It’s a young wine, not really up to drinking yet. It’s quite a young orchestra. My son’s thirteen but he’s young for his age. The composer died tragically young, just three days before her thirtieth birthday. The night is still young. The team is full of talented young players. They married young. This cottage would be perfect for a couple with a young family. This story is about a handsome young prince who falls in love with a village girl. Young babies need to be wrapped up warmly. young babies/children/animalsIdioms
adjective jump to other results
BrE BrE//jʌŋ//; NAmE NAmE//jʌŋ//
(younger BrE BrE//ˈjʌŋɡə(r)//; NAmE NAmE//ˈjʌŋɡər//
, youngest BrE BrE//ˈjʌŋɡɪst//; NAmE NAmE//ˈjʌŋɡɪst//
) Youth(informal) used to say that people seem to be doing something at a younger age than they used to, or that they seem younger because you are now older The band's fans are getting younger. Why do police officers seem to be getting younger?
(informal) used when you are commenting that time is passing and that you are growing older We need to start thinking about our retirement. We’re not getting any younger, you know.
used to describe a young person who acts in a more sensible way than you would expect for a person of their age
thinking and behaving like a young person even when you are old My father is 76 but he’s still young at heart.
(saying) young people should enjoy themselves as much as possible, because they will have to work and worry later in their lives
Check pronunciation: young
