What does millennial mean?
Millennial is an adjective and noun associated first with a thousand-year period and, in modern usage, with the generation born around the turn of the 21st century. As an adjective, it can describe anything characteristic of that generation or contemporary digital culture, as in “millennial humour” or a “millennial audience.” As a noun, a millennial is a person belonging to that generation, although the term is sometimes used more broadly or loosely for younger adults. The word has become prominent in debates about technology, work, housing, education, values, and changing social expectations. Although its modern generational sense is recent, its underlying meaning comes from the older concept of a millennium: a period lasting one thousand years. The word therefore links a precise historical and religious concept with a contemporary label for a generation whose outlook was shaped by rapid technological and social change.
Relating to a thousand-year period or characteristic of the generation born around the turn of the 21st century.
"The museum hosted an exhibition about millennial culture."
In contemporary usage, the generational sense is much more common than the older thousand-year sense.
A person belonging to the generation born around the turn of the 21st century.
"Each millennial brought a different perspective to the team."
Common in social and workplace contexts; boundaries for the term can vary in usage.
The usual plural when referring to members of the generation.
"Millennials have transformed the way many companies communicate with customers."
From the Latin mille, meaning “thousand,” millennial grew out of the idea of a thousand-year span before being repurposed for a generation shaped by the turn of the new millennium.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of millennial
Millennial derives through post-classical Latin millenarius, meaning “of or pertaining to a thousand years,” from Latin mille, “thousand.” The older noun millennium comes from the same Latin element through Latin millenarium, a period of a thousand years. In early English, millennial could itself refer to a thousand-year period, before the modern generational sense developed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Its relationship to millenarian reflects their shared Latin foundation, although the latter retains a strong connection with belief about a future thousand-year age.
Related word forms
How millennial is actually used
The noun is widely used in social and workplace contexts, especially in discussions of technology, education, employment, and marketing. It is also sometimes used figuratively for anything perceived as characteristic of contemporary digital culture.
Easily confused with millennial
A millennial may refer to someone of a modern generation or to something connected with a thousand-year period, whereas a millenarian is specifically someone who believes in a religious or political millennium.