younger

The word “younger” means less old than someone or something else being compared; comparative form of "young.". In plain terms, less old, compared to someone or something else.

“Younger” is pronounced YUHNG-guh (/ˈjʌŋɡɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “younger” used in a sentence: “My younger brother just started university.”

The opposite of “younger” — its antonyms — are elder and older.

“Younger” is an adjective.

“Younger” is a fairly common word in modern English.

Younger is the comparative form, comparing two people or things, as in she is younger than her brother. Youngest is the superlative, marking the least old of three or more, as in she is the youngest of five children. Use younger to compare two, and youngest to single out one from a larger group.

The opposite of younger is older, and when referring to people in a family, elder. My younger sister contrasts with my older sister or my elder sister. Both older and elder describe someone of greater age, though elder tends to be more formal and is mainly used for people rather than things.

Younger refers purely to age, being less old than someone else. Junior can mean younger, but it also signals lower rank, less experience, or a son sharing a father's name, as in junior partner or John Smith Jr. So junior people are not always younger; junior often points to status, not just age.

Younger compares ages between two things, usually with than: he looks younger than he is, or the younger of the two candidates. It can also stand before a noun, as in younger children or my younger self. It always implies a comparison, spoken or understood, to something older.