Youth
n.hopeful, energeticeveryday
Meaning 1
The early period of life associated with development and new possibility.
Reach for it when discussing a life stage without romanticizing or diminishing it
In her youth, she learned the repair techniques she now teaches.
Choose between these
4- everyday
young age
when chronological earliness is the simple fact
not when Young age is awkward in many sentences and says less about a lived period.
- warm
early years
when childhood or the beginning of a career is meant
not when Early years can exclude adolescence and depends heavily on context.
- professional
adolescence
when the developmental period between childhood and adulthood is exact
not when Adolescence covers only part of what different contexts call youth.
- professional
young adulthood
when the post-adolescent stage is specifically intended
not when Young adulthood excludes children and teenagers included within youth.
Meaning 2
Young people considered collectively.
Reach for it when referring to a group of younger people in policy or community contexts
Local youth designed the new practice area and its rules.
Choose between these
4- everyday
young people
when clear person-first wording is preferred
not when Young people is plural and cannot replace youth as an abstract life stage.
- professional
adolescents
when a defined developmental group is meant
not when Adolescents excludes children and many young adults included in youth programs.
- professional
youth community
when a connected group and its shared interests are central
not when Youth community can imply unity that has not been established.
- formal
younger generation
when contrast with older generations is relevant
not when The phrase treats a diverse age group as one cohort and can overgeneralize.
Said against
4- old age
- later life
- older people
- elders
It naturally appears in
3- in her youth
In her youth, Ana challenged the rule she later helped replace.
- youth program
The youth program pays participants for advisory work.
- local youth
Local youth chose shade and free water as the park's first priorities.
Where this comes from
Youth is not a single viewpoint or personality. Use young people when referring to people, and name the age range in policy or research.
- Wiktionary, English noun sense: early period of life opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Wiktionary, English noun collective sense: young people opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.