- of, relating to, possessing, or characteristic of youth
- fresh, vigorous, or active: he's surprisingly youthful for his age
- in an early stage of development: a youthful culture
- Also: young (of a river, valley, or land surface) in the early stage of the cycle of erosion, characterized by steep slopes, lack of flood plains, and V-shaped valleys
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
youth•ful /ˈyuθfəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
youth•ful•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- having youth;
young. - of, relating to, or suggesting youth or its vitality:youthful enthusiasm.
youth•ful•ness, n. [uncountable]
youth•ful
(yo̅o̅th′fəl),USA pronunciation adj.
youth′ful•ly, adv.
youth′ful•ness, n.
- characterized by youth;
young. - of, pertaining to, or befitting youth:youthful enthusiasm.
- having the appearance, freshness, vigor, etc., of youth:She is 60 but her optimism has kept her youthful.
- in an early period of existence;
early in time. - Geography[Physical Geog.](of topographical features) having undergone erosion to a slight extent only.
- youth + -ful 1555–65
youth′ful•ness, n.
- 1. –3. See young.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
youthful /ˈjuːθfʊl/ adj
'youthful' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bloom
- boy
- fresh
- gosling
- immature
- juvenescent
- juvenile
- juvenilia
- mature
- old
- Peter Pan
- primeval
- rejuvenate
- rejuvenesce
- well-preserved
- young
- adolescent
- blooming
- bobbysoxer
- bodgie
- boyish
- card
- Endymion
- exuberance
- fold
- greening
- haunt
- infantile
- juvenal plumage
- juvenility
- let
- limbo
- neoteric
- puerile
- redeem
- tawdry
- vernal
- whiz kid
- wild oat
- yeasty
- young blood
- young-eyed
- youngling
- youthen
- youthful offender
- salad days
- springy