Home UK English young

Meaning of young in English:

young

adjectiveyounger, youngest

  • 1Having lived or existed for only a short time.

    ‘a young girl’
    ‘young tender mint leaves’
    as plural noun the young ‘the young are amazingly resilient’
    • ‘Gary Neat, who also lives in the quiet cul-de-sac, said the couple lived there with a young girl.’
    • ‘Prince Unleashed tells the story of Holly, a young girl forced to live with relatives after a tragic family accident.’
    • ‘A long time ago a beautiful young girl called Hinemoa lived at Owhata on the eastern shores of the lake.’
    • ‘She tells a story of a young girl who lives in The House, where she works.’
    • ‘As a young girl living in Bellshill, she was taught the language on her grandmother's knee.’
    • ‘As a young girl, she lived on a farm and first rode sheep, then ponies and then horses which she loved.’
    • ‘She says the country has been in her blood ever since she lived there as a young girl.’
    • ‘A young girl who lives in a cheap motel with her mother comes every year for her birthday meal.’
    • ‘She explained that she had learned to do this when she was a young girl living in rural Ireland.’
    • ‘As a young girl, Mary lived in France where she had married the king of France - Francis II.’
    • ‘She was a young Jewish girl living in the Middle East under the rule of the Roman Empire.’
    • ‘As a young girl growing up in Trichy, Vanitha says she became interested in animation.’
    • ‘Her troubles, she insists, are now in the past, and the insecure young girl has grown into a confident woman.’
    • ‘As a young girl growing up on the Isle of Wight, her dream was to work as a waitress at the upmarket Penguin Café in Ryde.’
    • ‘When she was a young girl growing up in Wolverhampton, Denise Lewis itched to become the new Diana Ross.’
    • ‘Annie John is about a young girl growing up in Antigua and eventually being sent away to study.’
    • ‘A gaggle of young girls emerged from the woods and offered complex directions.’
    • ‘Lucy, who lives locally, says even as a young girl she felt alienated from her family - unloved and unwanted.’
    • ‘I came to live here in 1952 as a young girl and it would have pleased her greatly then.’
    • ‘A young girl loses her mother and has to go and live with her mad inventor father in Canada.’
    youthful, juvenile
    young people, youths, children, boys and girls, youngsters, young ones, the younger generation, the next generation, juveniles, minors, schoolboys, schoolgirls, whippersnappers, striplings
    View synonyms
    1. 1.1Not as old as the norm or as would be expected.
      ‘more people were dying young’
      youthful, juvenile
      View synonyms
    2. 1.2attributive Relating to or consisting of young people.
      ‘young love’
      ‘the local Young Farmers' club’
      • ‘There was no doubt that the young audience loved what they had just heard.’
      • ‘This was hardly the time to bring out an issue on love, when the young are busy preparing for exams.’
      • ‘I love being round young writers, I like to think of writers as a community, as a race.’
      • ‘My young artists loved making these flowers, as they looked great and were easy to make.’
      • ‘This picture of the two young lovers is the symbol of love in the SARS times.’
    3. 1.3Immature or inexperienced.
      ‘she's very young for her age’
      • ‘She seemed young for her age, had blonde hair, and wore heavy makeup.’
      • ‘They just seemed so immature and young to her now, even though they were only a few years younger.’
    4. 1.4Having the qualities associated with young people, such as enthusiasm and optimism.
      ‘all those who are young at heart’
      • ‘Sr. Catherine paid tribute to all her Senior Citizens for being so young at heart.’
      • ‘For the young and young at heart, there's also a number of niteclubs to keep those dancing feet tapping.’
      • ‘The Bangalore crowd is all young at heart, and the people here are always out having fun, she thinks.’
      • ‘It's full of non-stop action, laughter, drama and is perfect for the very young and young at heart.’
      • ‘A time when audiences full of the young and young at heart can embrace their innocence and enjoy the magic of theatre.’
      • ‘Anyone young at heart is welcome to attend this tea party and we hope to have music to suit the occasion.’
      • ‘The clientele is made up of all ages; safe to say, most will be young at heart.’
      • ‘Extra care has been taken to present a frayed and worn out look sought by the young and young at heart.’
      • ‘All young at heart were out on the floor dancing to the popular tunes of yesterday.’
      • ‘If you are young at heart you will remain young, it is said by many who don't want to grow old.’
      • ‘He is still very young at heart and a lot of players through the years have learned from experience.’
      • ‘If your dad is young at heart, you could check out the collection of shirts at River Island.’
      • ‘My elderly but young at heart parents just made their first visit to Pattaya from London to visit me in my new home.’
      • ‘My friend will miss her; he told me she was young at heart, had a wicked sense of humour, and always had a twinkle in her eye.’

  • 2the YoungerUsed to denote the younger of two people of the same name.

    ‘Pitt the Younger’
    1. 2.1youngerScottish Denoting the heir of a landed commoner.
      ‘Hugh Magnus Macleod, younger of Macleod’

noun

treated as plural

  • Offspring, especially of an animal before or soon after birth.

    ‘many grebes carry their young on their backs’
    • ‘Within three days of birth a brood of young may have been led a distance of almost a mile.’
    • ‘Whooping crane young are fed dragonfly larvae, insects and tadpoles.’
    • ‘In the spring the hungry animals tear out birds nests and eat eggs and young.’
    offspring, progeny, family, children, issue, little ones, youngsters, babies
    View synonyms

Phrases

    be not getting (or growing) any younger

    • Used to express the inevitability of ageing or the passage of time, often as an incitement to action.

      ‘I'm not getting any younger and I must find a full-time job’
      • ‘Neither of us is getting any younger and I feel that we should take advantage of whatever opportunities we're offered.’
      • ‘She isn't getting any younger, and she is in the process of very publicly getting her house in order for the eventual handover of the company to her designated heirs.’
      • ‘He isn't getting any younger, and his books aren't getting any better.’
      • ‘I love what I do, it has been my whole life and I can't imagine not doing it but I'm not getting any younger.’
      • ‘Let's face it, we're not getting any younger and we all have to think about our lavish lifestyles, after our careers are over.’
      • ‘He's not getting any younger and it's impossible not to ask: how long can he keep it up?’
      • ‘He is not growing any younger and is not getting any better.’
      • ‘Days are going, years passing, and we are not growing any younger.’
      • ‘"I am 65 years old now, and I'm not growing any younger," he retorts in self-defense.’
    with young

    • (of an animal) pregnant.

Origin

Old 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.

Pronunciation

young

/jʌŋ/