young

The word “young” means in an early stage of life; not yet old. In plain terms, not old — early in life, or new.

“Young” is pronounced yuhng (/jʌŋ/ in IPA).

Here is “young” used in a sentence: “Their two young children are still in primary school.”

Words with a similar meaning to “young” include junior, baby-faced, hebetic, youngling, youngly and youngsome.

The opposite of “young” — its antonyms — are old, aged, grown up, senior and youthless.

Depending on how it is used, “young” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “young” comes from Latin. From Old English ġeong, going back through Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root also behind the Latin-derived word "juvenile.".

“Young” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

"Young" states a fact about age: being at an early stage of life. "Youthful" describes qualities linked with youth, such as energy, freshness, or looks, whatever the person's real age. A child is young; a lively seventy-year-old can be youthful. So someone can be youthful without being young.

The main opposite is "old," meaning at a late or advanced stage of life. Related opposites include "elderly," "aged," and "mature," each with its own shade. "Young" and "old" form the basic pair, as in "young and old alike," covering both ends of the range of age.

It is usually neutral to positive, but it depends on context. "Young" can suggest freshness, energy, and promise, which sounds flattering. Yet it can also imply inexperience or immaturity, as in "too young to understand." The plain meaning is simply "early in life"; the tone comes from how it is used.

"A young child" is one only a few years old. "The night is young" means it is still early. "A young company" is one recently founded. "Young leaves" have just grown. In each case, "young" marks something near the start of its life or existence rather than well advanced.