young 1 of 2

adjective

ˈyəŋ How to pronounce young (audio)
Definition of youngnext
as in youthful
being in the early stage of life, growth, or development a young cat requires more food than an older one a young tree that will eventually reach 50 feet tall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

young

2 of 2

noun

as in offspring

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of young
Adjective
After migrating from Seoul to Montana as a young child, Suea first fell in love with fashion as a teenager growing up in New Jersey, begging her parents to take her to the mall to visit the Abercrombie & Fitch store after church on Sundays. — Violet Conroy, Vogue, 15 July 2026 Dating apps, which have been losing users in droves, are now attempting to inject community into their platforms as younger generations increasingly swear off technology. — Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 15 July 2026
Noun
Researchers have identified a new species of miniature marsupial frog that carries its young in a pouch on its back — a trait that sets it apart from the vast majority of frog species worldwide. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2026 Some dine on other jellyfish — even their own young when food is scarce. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for young
Recent Examples of Synonyms for young
  1. youthful
  2. offspring
  3. juvenile
  4. brood
  5. immature
  6. hatch
  7. adolescent
  8. progeny
Adjective
  • McElwee’s brother, having followed their father into the medical profession, received mentorship and experienced the glow of paternal pride, whereas McElwee’s youthful filmmaking vocation was met with bewilderment and doubt.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
  • The Grammy-winning Australian singer has been going viral for his youthful physique after appearing shirtless during a recent performance.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Definition of youthful
Noun
  • After several generations, those faster-growing cells produced more offspring and became increasingly common in the population, demonstrating a basic form of natural selection.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Instead, the system simply makes a bunch of copies to increase the probability that some of them will end up in each of the offspring.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Definition of offspring
Adjective
  • What began as a low-level juvenile case became five years in secure custody as his behavior deteriorated and new charges accumulated.
    — Christina Buttons, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
  • The teen was then arrested and taken to juvenile booking for processing.
    — WBFF STAFF, Baltimore Sun, 13 July 2026
Definition of juvenile
Noun
  • Now, the brood are in Woodbury, New Jersey, at KitKat Playroom, a nonprofit kitten rescue that livestreams foster kittens from arrival through adoption.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 10 July 2026
  • The warning bells are ringing for another potentially killer season for Florida’s beleaguered coral reefs, sending reef restoration companies scrambling to protect their brood.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026
Definition of brood
Adjective
  • Edamame Edamame are young, immature soybeans harvested early.
    — Eleesha Lockett, Verywell Health, 17 July 2026
  • The majority of the pest detections have been of immature life stages of the insect such as egg masses.
    — Lizzie Kane July 9, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of immature
Noun
  • After the eggs hatch, the larvae feed for about a week before maturing, dropping to the ground and continuing to develop into an adult fly.
    — John Hanna, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • The hatch-tent combination replaces the full-length pop-up roof being installed on the PV5 by other companies with a lighter alternative well-suited for both camping and everyday driving.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 July 2026
Definition of hatch
Adjective
  • Takeovers are at once a timeless illustration of the volatility of crowds—perhaps especially adolescent crowds—and of the much newer potentialities unleashed by the internet a few decades ago.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
  • Another practice involved staff stuffing insects, herbs and different scents into the leaves of lettuce heads, offering the adolescent skunks another challenge that would put their developing foraging skills to the test.
    — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
Definition of adolescent
Noun
  • Only in these United States can the progeny of people once portrayed as parasites and invaders side with those making the same argument about the latest batch of newcomers.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • That that fondness would define the very identity of her progeny?
    — Barry Levitt, Time, 19 June 2026
Definition of progeny

Phrases Containing young

Browse Nearby Words

yores
young
youngish
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Young.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/young. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on young

Nglish: Translation of young for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about young

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All