Word
millennial
Phoneticsmil·len·ni·al
US/mɪˈɫɛniəɫ/
UK/mɪlˈɛnɪəl/
Definition
adj. relating to the generation of people born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s.
adj. relating to the generation of people reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century. Often used to describe cultural or economic trends associated with this demographic cohort.
Examples
“Millennial workers often value flexibility in their jobs.”
“The marketing campaign was specifically designed to appeal to millennial tastes by focusing on sustainability and digital convenience.”
“Sociologists often examine how millennial career trajectories have been shaped by the 2008 financial crisis and the rapid expansion of the gig economy.”
Examples
simple
“Millennial workers often value flexibility in their jobs.”
contextual
“The marketing campaign was specifically designed to appeal to millennial tastes by focusing on sustainability and digital convenience.”
complex
“Sociologists often examine how millennial career trajectories have been shaped by the 2008 financial crisis and the rapid expansion of the gig economy.”
Usage
Typically used attributively before a noun; when used as a noun, it refers to a member of this generation.
Real-World Examples
“There’s a generation of middle-aged and perimenopausal elder millennials and xennials who refuse to do it.” “Millennials are struggling to buy a home - but is it actually getting easier?” Etymology
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin mīllennium (“millennium”) + English -al (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives; and forming nouns). The English word may be analysed as millennium + -al or milli- (prefix meaning ‘thousand’) + -ennial (suffix meaning ‘years’). Adjective sense 5 (“of or relating to, or characteristic of, people born in the last two decades of the 20th century”) was coined by the American authors William Strauss (1947–2007) and Neil Howe (born 1951) in their book Generations (1991): see the quotations. The noun is derived from the adjective.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
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englishreference.com/q/millennial