Words of Positivity
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Youthly

adj.energetic, hopefulliterary

What it means

Displaying the freshness, energy, or openness of youth.

Reach for it when choosing an archaic form when its unusual literary texture is intentional

The actor brought a youthly eagerness to the comic role.

Choose between these

6
  • everyday

    young

    when actual age or early development is meant

    not when Young states life stage and may not describe manner or energy.

  • everyday

    youthful

    when the standard modern adjective is best

    not when Youthful is less distinctive but far easier to understand.

  • warm

    fresh

    when newness and lively appeal are central

    not when Fresh can describe novelty without any link to youth.

  • professional

    juvenile

    when legal or developmental age is factual

    not when Juvenile often criticizes immaturity and is poor general praise.

  • formal

    adolescent

    when the teenage developmental stage is precise

    not when Adolescent should not stand in for spirited adult behavior.

  • literary

    sprightly

    when light animated movement deserves emphasis

    not when Sprightly can patronize older people and says little about openness.

Said against

3

It naturally appears in

3
  • youthly spirit

    A youthly spirit animated the old folk tune.

  • youthly eagerness

    Her youthly eagerness was balanced by careful preparation.

  • youthly appearance

    The portrait's youthly appearance comes from its open expression.

Where this comes from

Youthly is obsolete or rare; youthful is the normal contemporary choice.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.