/ jʌŋ; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective ( young·er / ˈjʌŋgə(r); NAmE / young·est / ˈjʌŋgɪst; NAmE /)
1.
having lived or existed for only a short time; not fully developed :
young babies
a young country
Caterpillars eat the young leaves of this plant.
a young wine
The night is still young (= it has only just started) .
OPP old
2.
not yet old; not as old as others :
young people
talented young football players
I am the youngest of four sisters.
In his younger days he played rugby for Wales.
I met the young Bill Clinton at Oxford.
Her grandchildren keep her young.
My son's thirteen but he's young for his age (= not as developed as other boys of the same age) .
They married young (= at an early age) .
My mother died young .
OPP old
3.
suitable or appropriate for young people
SYN youthful :
young fashion
The clothes she wears are much too young for her.
4.
consisting of young people or young children; with a low average age :
They have a young family.
a young audience
5.
young man / lady / woman used to show that you are angry or annoyed with a particular young person :
I think you owe me an apology, young lady!
6.
the younger used before or after a person's name to distinguish them from an older relative :
the younger Kennedy
( BrE , formal )
William Pitt the younger
—compare the elder at elder adjective , junior adjective (3)
•
IDIOMS
- be getting younger
- not be getting any younger
- young at heart
—more at old , only adverb
■ noun [ pl. ]
1.
the young young people considered as a group :
It's a movie that will appeal to the young.
It's a book for young and old alike .
2.
young animals of a particular type or that belong to a particular mother :
a mother bird feeding her young
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English g(e)ong , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch jong and German jung , also to youth ; from an Indo-European root shared by Latin juvenis .