youth

youth — noun

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

1.名詞A2
釋義

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.

例句

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)

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞

文法句型

possessive + youth

in + possessive + youth

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B2
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • beginnings

    less formal and implies the very first moments

  • infancy

    stronger metaphor suggesting even less development

  • early days

    more casual and always plural

反義詞

文法句型

the youth of + noun

in the youth of + noun

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
反義詞
  • old man

    an adult male of advanced age

文法句型

a youth

two youths

the youth + verb

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

the youth of + place

youth + plural verb

today's youth

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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