Youth is the period of life when you're young, especially the years between childhood and adulthood. A person in their youth might be a teenager learning to drive, a college student choosing a career path, or a young adult starting their first job. The word captures that time of transition from childhood to full independence.

The word can also refer to young people as a group. A city might build a youth center where teenagers can play basketball and hang out after school. A youth orchestra brings together talented young musicians. When people talk about “today's youth,” they mean the current generation of young people.

Youth suggests the energy, curiosity, and potential that come with being at the beginning of life. Someone might say that a 70-year-old gymnast has a youthful spirit because she approaches life with the enthusiasm and flexibility of someone much younger.

The opposite of youth is old age. There's a famous saying, “Youth is wasted on the young,” which playfully suggests that young people don't always appreciate how much energy and possibility they have. The years of youth are when you build the knowledge, skills, and character that will shape the rest of your life.