Young (adjective) means having lived or existed for only a short time; not yet old or fully mature. As a noun, the young refers to young people as a group, or to the offspring of an animal.
What Does Young Mean?
Young comes from Old English geong, related to Old High German jung and ultimately to Latin juvenis (a young person). That same Latin root gives us juvenile, junior, and rejuvenate. The word has been part of the English language without interruption since before the Norman Conquest, making it one of the oldest and most deeply embedded adjectives in the language.
In modern British English, young is used freely across all registers. It can describe a person's age ('a young teacher'), a company's history ('a young business'), a wine's development ('a young Bordeaux'), or even an idea's maturity ('a young democracy'). When used as a collective noun — the young — it refers to young people as a social group, often in contrast with 'the old' or 'the elderly'.
Note the spelling trap: the 'ou' in young is pronounced /ʌ/ (like sun), not /aʊ/ (like sound). This catches many learners off guard. Compare: young /jʌŋ/, your /jɔː/, you /juː/ — all spelt with 'you' but pronounced very differently. See Cambridge Dictionary's full entry on “young” for more examples.
Example Sentences by Level
| Level | Sentence | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| A2 | My sister is very young — she is only six years old. | basic predicative use |
| B1 | She started learning English at a young age and became highly proficient. | attributive use before a noun |
| B1 | The young man smiled and offered to carry her bags. | young + noun (person) |
| B2 | The campaign aims to engage young people in local politics and civic life. | young people — common collocation |
| C1 | Despite being in her late fifties, she has a remarkably young outlook on life and embraces change with enthusiasm. | figurative / metaphorical use |
Collocations
Learning young with its most frequent partners will help you sound natural in both spoken and written English.
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| young people | Young people are increasingly using social media for news. |
| young children | The story is suitable for young children aged four and above. |
| young adult | This novel is marketed as a young adult thriller. |
| young man / young woman | A young woman approached the reception desk. |
| young at heart | My grandfather is seventy but still young at heart. |
| young professional | The area is popular with young professionals working in finance. |
| young offender | The court referred him to a young offender institution. |
| young talent | The academy has a reputation for nurturing young talent. |
| the young (noun) | The young are often more adaptable than the old. |
| younger generation | The younger generation prefers streaming to broadcast television. |
Usage Notes
How to Use Young Correctly
Attributive vs predicative: Young works in both positions. Attributive: 'a young doctor'. Predicative: 'The doctor is young.' Both are perfectly standard.
Young people vs the young: 'Young people' is more common in everyday writing and is neutral. 'The young' is more formal or journalistic: 'The young need better career guidance.' Avoid 'the youngs' — this is not standard English.
Age ranges: Young does not specify an exact age range. Context and collocation clarify meaning: 'young children' implies pre-school to primary age; 'young adults' typically means 18–25; 'young professionals' suggests people in their twenties and early thirties.
Figurative use: Young can describe non-human things to suggest early development, freshness, or novelty: 'a young wine', 'a young industry', 'a young democracy'. This is a sophisticated stylistic choice at B2+ level.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She is more young than her brother.
She is younger than her brother. (use the irregular comparative: younger, not more young)
The youngs don't always listen to advice.
Young people don't always listen to advice. / The young don't always listen to advice. (no plural form 'youngs')
He is a very young-aged student.
He is a very young student. ('young-aged' is redundant — young already expresses age)
Related Words
Expanding your vocabulary around young will help you discuss age, development, and generational topics with greater precision.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Practise This Word
Want to understand the grammar behind this? Explore our Grammar guides.
Frequently Asked Questions about “young”
What does young mean in English?
Young means having lived or existed for only a short time. As an adjective it describes a person, animal, or thing that is not yet old or fully mature: 'a young child', 'a young company'. As a collective noun, 'the young' refers to young people as a group.
What is the difference between young and youthful?
Young refers to actual age — someone who is young has not lived for very long. Youthful means having qualities associated with youth, such as energy, freshness, or enthusiasm, and can describe people of any age: 'She has a youthful appearance despite being in her sixties.' Young is neutral and factual; youthful carries a positive, complimentary tone.
How do you pronounce young?
Young is pronounced /jʌŋ/. The 'ou' is pronounced like the 'u' in 'sun' or 'fun', not like the 'ou' in 'sound'. The final 'g' is silent — the word ends with the /ŋ/ nasal sound, as in 'sing' or 'long'.
What are common collocations with young?
Common collocations include: young people, young children, young adult, young man/woman, young at heart, young talent, young offender, young professional, and young generation. In academic and journalistic English you will also encounter 'the young' used as a collective noun referring to youth as a social group.
What is the opposite of young?
The most common antonyms are old and elderly (for people) or old, ancient, and mature (for things). For plants and animals, mature is the typical opposite. Note that aged and senior are used specifically for people and carry a more formal or polite tone than simply 'old'.
What is the noun form of young?
Young itself can be used as a collective noun: 'The young are often more open to change than the old.' The related noun for the quality of being young is youth. For a young person you can say youngster (informal), juvenile (formal/legal), or minor (legal term for someone under 18).
What is the comparative and superlative of young?
The comparative form is younger and the superlative is youngest: 'She is younger than her brother.' 'He is the youngest student in the class.' These are irregular in that 'younger' and 'youngest' use a /g/ sound that is absent in 'young' itself.
Can young be used as a noun?
Yes. 'The young' is used as a collective noun to mean young people in general: 'The young face unique challenges in today's job market.' It can also refer to the offspring of animals: 'The cat was protecting her young.' Both uses are standard in British English.
What is the etymology of young?
Young comes from Old English 'geong', which is related to Old High German 'jung' and Latin 'juvenis' (young person). The Latin root also gives English the words juvenile, junior, and rejuvenate. The word has been used in English continuously since before the Norman Conquest.
How can I practise using young in English?
Try LexFizz's Complete the Sentence exercise to see young used in a variety of contexts, or use the Flash Cards tool to review young alongside related words such as youth, youthful, youngster, and juvenile. Reading news articles about education or social issues is a great way to encounter 'the young' and 'young people' used naturally.