youth
/juθ/noun
The early stage of life after childhood and before full adulthood; sometimes the whole period from infancy to becoming an adult.
Example sentences
- “In his youth, he traveled all over South America.”
- “She spent much of her youth in a small fishing village.”
As a countable noun ('a youth', 'youths') it means a young man and often sounds disapproving, especially in crime reporting.