younger

Younger is the comparative form of the adjective young. It describes someone or something of lesser age or more recently originated when compared with another object or person. It is used to indicate being not as old as another, or to refer to a later generation. For example: “She is younger than her sister” and “the younger generation.”

In grammar, younger functions as a modifier before nouns, as in younger children or younger animals. It can appear as a predicate adjective after a linking verb: “He is younger.” In some contexts, younger can be used as a noun to refer to the younger member of a pair or group, as in “the younger of the two brothers,” though this usage is less common in everyday speech.

Etymology traces younger to the Old English word geong (young), with the comparative suffix -er forming during Middle English to yield younger. The superlative is youngest. The word is part of a broader word family based on young, including related terms like youth and youngster.

Usage notes and scope: younger is preferred over the nonstandard form “more young.” It is commonly used in social and demographic language to discuss age-related comparisons, such as younger people or younger generations, and may be accompanied by relative or absolute age ranges depending on context. In statistics, policy, and marketing, “younger” groups are often defined for analysis, though precise ages vary by study.

See also: young, younger generation, youth. In addition, Younger is also a surname; notable bearers include individuals historically associated with the James–Younger Gang.