What does youth mean?
Youth has several closely related meanings. Most commonly, it means the period of life when someone is young, especially the years between childhood and adulthood. It can also refer to young people as a group, as in youth unemployment or youth culture, and in older or literary contexts it may mean a young man or boy. The word can additionally convey freshness, energy, and the qualities associated with being young. In contemporary use, youth is usually neutral, although collective expressions such as the youth can sound formal or political. For an individual young person, young people, youngster, or teenager is often more natural. The term is valuable because it names both a stage of life and a social generation, while its older sense for a young man gives it a distinctive literary character.
As a noun, youth means the period of being young, young people collectively, or a young man in archaic or literary use.
"The city's youth are increasingly interested in local environmental issues."
The collective sense is common; the singular sense for a young man is dated.
As a verb, youth means to be young; this sense is now archaic or literary.
"The poet's work youthfully explores the freedom and uncertainty of adolescence."
This verb form is uncommon in modern standard English.
The standard plural is youths, though youth is more commonly used collectively without a plural form, as in the youth.
"Several youths were waiting outside the community centre."
Youth shares an ancient root with juvenile and junior: words about being young that have survived for thousands of years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of youth
The English word comes from Old English ġeogud, meaning youth or young people, and is cognate with German Jugend and Dutch jeugd. Its deeper root is also reflected in Latin forms such as iuventus and iuvenis, which are related to English juvenile and junior. The same Latin family of words contributed to jovial, originally associated with youth and cheerfulness.
Related word forms
How youth is actually used
The word is generally neutral and widely used in British and American English. When referring to a group, youth often has a collective or social meaning and may sound more formal than young people. The sense meaning a young man is literary and dated.