youth

youth — noun

1. the period of life roughly between ages twelve and the early twenties, when a pe

1.nounA2
Definition

the period of life roughly between ages twelve and the early twenties, when a person develops from a child into an adult; also, the state or quality of being young.

Example

Sivan spent much of her youth in a small fishing village along the coast.

in + possessive + youth (time period)

An old photograph showed the friends she had made in her youth.

possessive + youth (backward-looking)

Common collocations
  • in my youth
  • during his youth
  • spend one's youth
  • lost youth
  • youth of today
Synonyms
  • childhood

    earlier period; childhood ends before youth begins

  • adolescence

    more formal and specifically refers to teenage years, which is part of youth

  • young age

    more general and less common as a noun phrase

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

possessive + youth

in + possessive + youth

Usage Note

Commonly used with possessive determiners (my youth, his youth, her youth) or in the prepositional phrase in one's youth. The sense of 'state of being young' is uncountable and typically appears without an article.

Common Mistakes

I spent my young in a small town.
I spent my youth in a small town.
'young' is an adjective, not a noun; use 'youth' for the time period.
She looks young because she has youth skin.
She looks young because she has youthful skin.
The adjective form 'youthful' is used to describe something that has the qualities of youth.

2. the early period in the existence of something, before it reaches a fully mature

2.nounB2
Definition

the early period in the existence of something, before it reaches a fully mature or developed state.

Example

The internet was still in its youth when mobile phones became widely used.

figurative: in its youth (new entity)

In the youth of the company, there were only three people working in one room.

Common collocations
  • in its youth
  • the youth of something
  • still in its youth
Synonyms
  • beginnings

    less formal and implies the very first moments

  • infancy

    stronger metaphor suggesting even less development

  • early days

    more casual and always plural

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the youth of + noun

in the youth of + noun

Usage Note

Always figurative or metaphorical. The subject is typically an organisation, technology, art form, or field of activity — never a living creature. The phrase in + possessive + youth (e.g. in its youth) is the most common pattern.

Common Mistakes

The puppy is still in its youth.
The puppy is still young.
For animals or people, use the literal sense (noun/1) or the adjective 'young', not this figurative sense.

3. a male person who is no longer a child but has not yet reached full adulthood.

3.nounB1
Definition

a male person who is no longer a child but has not yet reached full adulthood.

Example

A youth standing at the bus stop was reading a novel in Japanese.

indefinite article: a youth

João was a shy youth who spent his time drawing birds in a sketchbook.

Common collocations
  • a youth of ... years
  • gang of youths
  • local youths
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • old man

    an adult male of advanced age

Grammar Patterns

a youth

two youths

the youth + verb

Usage Note

In modern British English, 'youth' (countable) can sometimes carry a mildly negative or suspicious tone when used in news reports about crime (e.g. 'a gang of youths'). In neutral contexts, alternatives like 'young man' or 'teenager' may feel safer for learners.

Common Mistakes

She is a youth of sixteen.
She is a young woman of sixteen.
The countable sense of 'youth' refers almost exclusively to males.
I saw three youth at the park.
I saw three youths at the park.
The plural is 'youths', not 'youth', when referring to individuals.

4. young people as a collective group within a society, community, or particular ar

4.nounB1
Definition

young people as a collective group within a society, community, or particular area, considered together.

Example

Youth from this coastal town now have scholarships to study in Taipei and Kaohsiung.

the youth of + place + plural verb

A new programme was created to help youth find jobs in technology fields.

Common collocations
  • today's youth
  • the youth of today
  • local youth
  • youth unemployment
  • youth culture
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the youth of + place

youth + plural verb

today's youth

Usage Note

This sense functions as a plural uncountable noun — it takes a plural verb (youth are ...) but does not add -s. Unlike sense 3 (countable youths), this refers to the demographic category rather than specific individuals.

Common Mistakes

The youth is very active in this town.
The youth are very active in this town.
When meaning 'young people as a group', 'youth' takes a plural verb.
Youths today spend too much time on phones.
Youth today spend too much time on phones.
For the collective sense, use 'youth' (not 'youths'); 'youths' refers to specific young males.

youth — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/4

Youth (noun/4, 'young people collectively') is the broadest term — it covers roughly ages 12 to 25 and works in formal and casual contexts alike. Teenagers is narrower, referring strictly to ages 13-19, and tends to appear in everyday conversation rather than official documents. Adolescents is clinical and formal; it emphasises the psychological and biological stage between childhood and adulthood, and is common in academic or medical writing. Youngsters is informal and affectionate, often used by adults talking about children and teens in a warm or slightly protective way. For example: 'The youth of this city need more public spaces' (neutral, official); 'Teenagers love that new app' (casual, age-specific); 'Adolescents often experience sleep pattern changes' (medical, formal); 'The youngsters were playing in the park' (affectionate, informal).

teenagersadolescentsyoungsters

Common collocations

Nouns

  • youth culture
  • youth unemployment
  • youth movement
  • youth crime
  • youth programme

Phrases

  • in the bloom of youth
  • the youth of today
  • a wasted youth

Prepositions

  • in one's youth
  • during one's youth
  • through one's youth

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Youth traces back to the Old English word 'geoguð', meaning the state or time of being young. This comes from the Proto-Germanic root '*jugunthō', which is related to the word 'young'. Over time, the spelling shifted through Middle English 'youthe' to the modern form 'youth'. The sense of 'young person' (a youth) appeared around the 1500s, and the collective use ('the youth') developed later.