Someone's youth is the period of their life during which they are a child, before they are a fully mature adult.
In my youth my ambition had been to be an inventor.
...the comic books of my youth.
Synonyms: immaturity, adolescence, early life, young days More Synonyms of youth
2. uncountable noun
Youth is the quality or state of being young.
Gregory was still enchanted with Shannon's youth and joy and beauty.
The team is now a good mixture of experience and youth.
Synonyms: youthfulness, youngness, freshness More Synonyms of youth
3. countable noun
Journalists often refer to young men as youths, especially when they are reporting that the young men have caused trouble.
...gangs of youths who broke windows and looted shops.
A 17-year-old youth was remanded in custody yesterday.
Synonyms: boy, lad, youngster, kid [informal] More Synonyms of youth
4. plural noun [usually with poss]
Theyouth are young people considered as a group.
He represents the opinions of the youth of today. [+ of]
She's not a very good influence on the youth of this country.
Synonyms: young people, the young, the younger generation, teenagers More Synonyms of youth
youth in British English
(juːθ)
nounWord forms: pluralyouths (juːðz)
1.
the quality or condition of being young, immature, or inexperienced
his youth told against him in the contest
2.
the period between childhood and maturity, esp adolescence and early adulthood
3.
the freshness, vigour, or vitality characteristic of young people
youth shone out from her face
4.
any period of early development
the project was in its youth
5.
a young person, esp a young man or boy
6.
young people collectively
youth everywhere is rising in revolt
Derived forms
youthless (ˈyouthless)
adjective
Word origin
Old English geogoth; related to Old Frisian jogethe, Old High German iugund, Gothic junda, Latin juventus
Youth in British English
(juːθ)
noun
Isle of Youth
Youth in American English
(juθ)
Isle ofCuban isle south of W Cuba: 849 sq mi (2,199 sq km)
youth in American English
(juθ)
nounWord forms: pluralyouths (juðz; juθs)
1.
the state or quality of being young, esp. of being vigorous and lively, or immature, impetuous, etc.
2.
the period of life coming between childhood and maturity; adolescence
3.
an early stage of growth or existence
4.
young people collectively
5.
a young person; esp., a young man
Word origin
ME youthe < OE geoguthe < *jugunthi < Gmc *juwunthi (with g for w based on *dugunthi-, goodness, valor) akin to Du jeugd: for IE base see young
Examples of 'youth' in a sentence
youth
The scale of youth unemployment is staggering and shaming.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He was committed to youth custody to be sentenced next month.
The Sun (2016)
High youth unemployment also helped provoke mass demonstrations.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We need to have a balance between youth and experience and they are important in that as well.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
None of the trustees had experience of youth work, ostensibly the core business of the charity.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
This results in a downward spiral into a poverty trap, which is an unfair burden on the youth of today.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
An extra 15 million will be set aside each year for youth custody reforms, which will also aim to strengthen frontline staffing and reduce violence.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But I suspect that the real reason is that you can't go back and recapture the joys of your youth.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We have a good mix of youth and experience.
The Sun (2013)
You have a youth group without leadership.
Christianity Today (2000)
It will also promise to increase the minimum wage and outline new measures to tackle youth unemployment.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There were also the joys of the youth orchestra.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Couple corruption to the freshness of your youth.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
We will try to find a mixture between youth and experience.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The youth of this country will ensure that he and his party are consigned to history.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They gave him youth custody and barred him from keeping animals for four years.
The Sun (2010)
What does politics look like for the youth now?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Two 17-year-old youths were arrested nearby and a phone was recovered.
The Sun (2012)
At 45 he is also at that age where he has the right mixture of youth and maturity.
The Sun (2006)
Somehow he had survived all the upheavals of my adolescence and youth in his tatty knitted boiler suit, the only relic of my childhood.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This process, partly conscious and partly submerged, engaged the brothers for much of their youth and early adulthood.
Rotundo, E. Anthony American Manhood: Transformations in Masculinity from the Revolution to the ModernEra (1993)
Quotations
Youth's a stuff will not endureWilliam ShakespeareTwelfth Night
Young men have more virtue than old men; they have more generous sentiments in every respectSamuel Johnson
Youth, which is forgiven everything, forgives itself nothing: age, which forgives itself anything, is forgivennothingGeorge Bernard ShawMaxims for Revolutionists
Whom the gods love dies youngMenanderMouostichoi
The whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to schoolWilliam ShakespeareAs You Like It
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very heavenWilliam WordsworthThe Prelude
Youth is a disease that must be borne with patiently! Time, indeed, will cure itR.H. Benson
I've never understood why people consider youth a time of freedom and joy. It's probably because they have forgotten their ownMargaret AtwoodHair Jewelry
Hope I die before I get oldPete TownshendMy Generation
The atrocious crime of being a young man... I shall neither attempt to palliate nor denyWilliam Pitt, Earl of Chatham
Youth must be served
In other languages
youth
British English: youth /juːθ/ NOUN
adolescence Someone's youth is the period of their life when they are a child, before they are a fully mature adult.
In my youth I wanted to be an inventor.
American English: youth
Arabic: شَباب
Brazilian Portuguese: juventude
Chinese: 青春
Croatian: mladost
Czech: mládí
Danish: ungdom
Dutch: jeugd jongeren
European Spanish: juventud
Finnish: nuoruus
French: jeunesse
German: Jugend
Greek: νεότητα
Italian: gioventù
Japanese: 青春時代
Korean: 청소년
Norwegian: ungdomstid
Polish: młodzież
European Portuguese: juventude
Romanian: tinerețe
Russian: молодость
Latin American Spanish: juventud
Swedish: ungdom
Thai: วัยหนุ่มสาว
Turkish: gençlik
Ukrainian: молодість
Vietnamese: tuổi trẻ
British English: youth NOUN
young men Journalists often refer to young men as youths, especially when they are reporting that the young men have caused trouble.
A 17-year-old youth was arrested yesterday.
American English: youth
Brazilian Portuguese: juventude
Chinese: 年轻人尤用于新闻报道中指惹了麻烦的年轻人
European Spanish: joven
French: jeune
German: Jugendliche
Italian: giovane
Japanese: 若者
Korean: 젊은이
European Portuguese: juventude
Latin American Spanish: joven
All related terms of 'youth'
youth club
A youth club is a club where young people can go to meet each other and take part in various leisure activities. Youth clubs are often run by a church or local authority .
youth court
a court that deals with juvenile offenders and children beyond parental control or in need of care
youth crime
crime committed by juvenile offenders
youth group
an organization of young people, as for social purposes, usually under the sponsorship of a church, political organization, or the like
Hitler Youth
→ the Hitler Youth
middle youth
the period of life between about 30 and 50
youth centre
a centre providing leisure activities for young people, often associated with a church or community centre
youth charity
A charity is an organization which raises money in order to help people who are sick or very poor , or who have a disability .
youth culture
the activities and behaviour associated with young people
youth custody
(in Britain ) a sentence of from four to eighteen months ' detention passed on a person aged 15 to 21
youth hostel
A youth hostel is a place where people can stay cheaply when they are travelling.
youth leader
a person who has responsibility for the young people at a youth club etc
youth worker
A youth worker is a person whose job involves providing support and social activities for young people, especially young people from poor backgrounds.
youth movement
a political, religious or social movement that is made up of young people
youth orchestra
an orchestra that is made up of young musicians
youth violence
Violence is behaviour which is intended to hurt , injure , or kill people.
Isle of Youth
an island in the NW Caribbean , south of Cuba : administratively part of Cuba from 1925. Chief town: Nueva Gerona . Pop: 80 600 (2002 est). Area: 3061 sq km (1182 sq miles)
youth programming
the creation and scheduling of television programmes specifically aimed at young people
Fountain of Youth
a legendary spring supposed to restore the health and youth of anyone who drinks from it: it was sought in America by Ponce de León and other explorers
the Hitler Youth
a Nazi paramilitary youth organization (1922-45)
one's misspent youth
the period when one is young and spend's one's time doing foolish , bad , or frivolous things
youth custody centre
(in Britain) a place where offenders aged 15 to 21 may be detained and given training , instruction , and work
Youth Training Scheme
(formerly, in Britain ) a scheme , run by the Training Agency , to provide vocational training for unemployed 16–17-year-olds
Youth Opportunities Programme
→ the Youth Opportunities Programme
the Youth Opportunities Programme
a government funded programme which ran from 1978 until 1983 and which gave training and employment opportunities to young people
young offender institution
(in Britain ) a place where offenders aged 15 to 21 may be detained and given training , instruction , and work
young offenders institution
(in Britain ) a place where offenders aged 15 to 21 may be detained and given training , instruction , and work
Chinese translation of 'youth'
youth
(juːθ)
n
(u) (= young days) 青少年时(時)期 (qīngshàonián shíqī)
(u) (= being young) 年轻(輕) (niánqīng)
(c) (= young man) 男青年 (nán qīngnián)
in my youth在我的青年时(時)代 (zài wǒ de qīngnián shídài)
Derived Forms
the youthn pl青年人 (qīngniánrén)
1 (noun)
Definition
Someone's youth is the period of their life during which they are a child, before they are a fully mature adult.
the comic books of my youth
Synonyms
immaturity
adolescence
Some young people suddenly become tongue-tied in early adolescence.
early life
young days
boyhood or girlhood
salad days
juvenescence
Opposites
age
,
maturity
,
old age
,
adulthood
,
later life
,
manhood or womanhood
2 (noun)
Definition
Youth is the quality or state of being young.
The team is now a good mixture of experience and youth.
Synonyms
youthfulness
youngness
freshness
3 (noun)
Definition
Journalists often refer to young men as youths, especially when they are reporting that the young men have caused trouble.
gangs of youths who broke windows and looted shops
Synonyms
boy
I knew him when he was just a little boy.
lad
a lad of his age
youngster
Other youngsters are not so lucky.
kid (informal)
All the kids in my class could read.
teenager
As a teenager he attended the local high school.
young man
adolescent
Adolescents are happiest with small groups of close friends.
teen (informal)
stripling
a stripling of 20
young shaver (informal)
shaveling (archaic)
Opposites
grown-up
,
adult
,
pensioner
,
senior citizen
,
OAP
4 (noun)
Definition
Theyouth are young people considered as a group.
He represents the opinions of the youth of today.
Synonyms
young people
the young
the younger generation
teenagers
the rising generation
Opposites
old people
,
the old
,
the aged
,
the elderly
Quotations
Youth's a stuff will not endure [William Shakespeare – Twelfth Night]Young men have more virtue than old men; they have more generous sentiments in every respect [Samuel Johnson]Youth, which is forgiven everything, forgives itself nothing: age, which forgives itself anything, is forgiven nothing [George Bernard Shaw – Maxims for Revolutionists]Whom the gods love dies young [Menander – Mouostichoi]The whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school [William Shakespeare – As You Like It]Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very heaven [William Wordsworth – The Prelude]Youth is a disease that must be borne with patiently! Time, indeed, will cure it [R.H. Benson]I've never understood why people consider youth a time of freedom and joy. It's probably because they have forgotten their own [Margaret Atwood – Hair Jewelry]Hope I die before I get old [Pete Townshend – My Generation]The atrocious crime of being a young man... I shall neither attempt to palliate nor deny [William Pitt, Earl of Chatham]
proverb
Youth must be served
Additional synonyms
in the sense of adolescence
Definition
the period between puberty and adulthood
Some young people suddenly become tongue-tied in early adolescence.
Synonyms
teens,
youth,
minority,
boyhood,
girlhood,
juvenescence
in the sense of adolescent
Definition
an adolescent person
Adolescents are happiest with small groups of close friends.