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young

young

3 1.0
A baby animal or a child
  • noun
  • /jʌŋ/
translation icon : joven
  • We commonly find two or more young of the year frolicking within a "playpen" formed by their mothers five to ten yards away.

Examples

  • I'm going to help the young players achieve their dreams.

  • Are they teaching their young how to hunt?

  • No, it was a young girl I had.

  • Turns out a young boy got the video.

  • I am choosing to prioritize my young children this time.

  • Socialization of the very young is one of the most potent forms of social control.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Tending the young takes a toll; males do not forage while caretaking, and so they lose about 15 percent of their body weight.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Along with lions, hyenas, and wild dogs, elephants are among the well-known savanna mammals that raise their young cooperatively.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The zookeepers are dedicated to caring for the young of many species.

  • The mother dog is very protective of her young puppies.

Synonyms

kid
vsyoung
  • Informal
1.0

A young person, usually a child

is the neutral general term usable for animals too
child
vsyoung
1.0

A young person who is not yet an adult, often a son or daughter

adds animals and offspring to this human-focused sense
baby
vsyoung
1.0

A very young child or animal that cannot walk and cannot talk yet

is the general term for any nonadult individual or offspring
young man
vsyoung
1.0

A male who is a teenager or a young adult

is gender neutral and applies also to animal offspring
young person
vsyoung
777 1.0

A child or teenager who is not yet an adult

includes both people and animals rather than only people
young woman
vsyoung
519 1.0

A female person in her teens or twenties

is broader, covering both sexes and nonhuman offspring
young lady
vsyoung
487 1.0

A girl or young woman in her teens to early twenties

is gender neutral and includes animal offspring as well
youngster
vsyoung
213 1.0

A child or teenager who is not yet an adult

is broader, covering both nonadult people and animal offspring
offspring
vsyoung
107 3.0

A person's children or the young of animals and plants

is more general everyday usage for nonadult beings rather than lineage
youth
vsyoung
101 1.0

A young person, often a boy or young man

covers all nonadult humans and animal offspring, not only people
kiddie
vsyoung
  • Informal
87 7.7

A young child

is the straightforward general word without the playful feel
pup
vsyoung
86 1.0

A young animal like a dog or seal

is more general, not limited to specific animal types
juvenile
vsyoung
79 3.9

A young person who is not yet an adult

is the ordinary everyday word not tied to formality
cub
vsyoung
  • Archaic
18 5.5

A young person who is new to a job

is the neutral biological or age word, not a critique of skill
young'un
vsyoung
  • Informal
14 9.3

A friendly way to say child or young animal

is the standard general label rather than colloquial speech
youngling
vsyoung
2 5.5

A child or baby animal not yet fully grown

is the common general term rather than a slightly formal label
young bird
vsyoung
1 1.2

A baby bird that is not yet an adult

is broader, including humans and many other animal offspring
kidlet
vsyoung
  • Informal
1 8.2

A small child or young goat that people talk about in a loving, informal way

is neutral and simple rather than affectionate or playful in tone
broodling
vsyoung
  • Archaic
9.5

A young animal recently hatched or born

is the general everyday term for any nonadult or offspring
young heifer
vsyoung
  • Specialized
6.0

A young female cow that has not had a calf

is the general label for nonadult beings, not species specific

Antonyms

1.0

A person who is fully grown and no longer a child

Idioms

young at heart
  • Informal
5 4.2

To feel and act lively and playful even though you are older

to eat their young
  • Literature
1 9.9

To harm or betray people in your own group to help yourself

Compounds

1.0

A male who is a teenager or a young adult

777 1.0

A child or teenager who is not yet an adult

519 1.0

A female person in her teens or twenties

487 1.0

A girl or young woman in her teens to early twenties

22 2.8

A person aged about 18 to 29 who can vote in elections

young buck
  • Slang
9 7.9

A young man who is full of energy and wants to prove himself

sweet young thing
  • Offensive
2 8.2

An attractive young woman often talked about in a kind way or as less grown-up

2 9.9

A young person who is rude and thinks they know more than others

1 1.2

A baby bird that is not yet an adult

young blood
  • Informal
1 4.4

People who bring energy and new ideas to a group

young padawan
  • Jargon
1 9.9

A new person learning from an experienced teacher, often used jokingly from Star Wars

9.5

A young person who likes old-fashioned clothes and ways of behaving

young heifer
  • Specialized
6.0

A young female cow that has not had a calf

A person in a Turkish reform group who wants to make the Ottoman Empire more modern and free

young Turk
  • Literature
8.1

A young person in a group who wants big change and challenges old rules

How Young

newborn
12 1.0
infant
411 1.0
young
3 1.0
child
1.0
adolescent
69 3.5

Surface Forms

young singular
youngs plural

Etymology

The word young comes from an old German word meaning 'recently born' or 'new' and is related to youth and German jung. That's why an animal's 'young' means its babies — they are newly born and not yet grown.