millennial
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millennial¹
- /mɪˈlɛn.ɪ.əl/ UK
- /məˈlɛn.i.əl/ Canada, US
Rhymes with -ɛniəl
Where it comes from
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.
adjective
-
Thousand-year-old; also (by extension, loosely) thousands of years old.
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee / About his shadowy sides: above him swell / Huge sponges of millennial growth and height; […]
Similar: millenarian
- Occurring every thousand years.
- Occurring at, or relating to, the beginning or end of a millennium. [I]t is highly likely that some preachers may have called on millennial frettings for their purposes. The theologian Abbo of Fleury recalled a premillennial sermon in his youth which did precisely this.
- Referring to the thousandth anniversary of an event or happening. a millennial fair
- Often capitalized: of or relating to, or characteristic of, people born in the last two decades of the 20th century from around the early 1980s to the mid 1990s (with 1996 births cited as the last Millennial year), and who reached adulthood early in the third millennium C.E. the millennial generation
-
Synonym of millenarian (“pertaining to the belief in an impending period of one thousand years of peace and righteousness associated with the Second Coming of Christ and his reign on earth”).
the millennial judgment
Similar: millenniary, millenarian
noun millennials · Millennial
-
Often capitalized: a person from the generation born in the last two decades of the 20th century, from around the early 1980s to the mid-1990s and who reached adulthood early in the third millennium C.E., characterized by their familiarity with computer technology and poorer financial prospects than their parents.
Someday, Boomers hope, Millennials will build according to great ideals their parents can only envision, act on vital issues their parents can only ponder.
Similar: echo boomer, Generation Yer
- A thousandth anniversary; also, a celebration of such an anniversary. The Magyar celebrates the millennial of Hungary, not of Austro-Hungary.
Millennial²
adjective
- Alternative letter-case form of millennial (“of or relating to, or characteristic of, people born in the last two decades of the 20th century”). Boomers played cassettes in their cars and popularized FM radio. Thirteeners love their compact disks. Today's electronics industry is abuzz with talk of the new digital technology that awaits Millennial teenagers.
noun Millennials
- Alternative letter-case form of millennial (“a person from the generation born in the last two decades of the 20th century”). Someday, Boomers hope, Millennials will build according to great ideals their parents can only envision, act on vital issues their parents can only ponder.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: millennian, millennium, millenium, ancient, age-old, millennia, trillennial, centenary, centennial, bimillenary, decamillennial, intercentennial, supercenturial, bimillennial, decennal, quincentennial
Translations
Every language
adj thousand-year-old; thousands of years old
| Español | milenario |
|---|---|
| Français | millénaire |
| Deutsch | tausendjährig |
| Italiano | millenario |
| Română | milenar |
adj occurring every thousand years
| Español | milenario |
|---|---|
| Français | millénaire |
| Italiano | millenario |
| Русский | тысячеле́тний tysjačelétnij |
adj referring to the thousandth anniversary of an event or happening
| Español | milenario |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 一千年的 yīqiānniánde |
| Português | milenar |
| Français | millénaire |
| Italiano | millenario |
| Русский | тысячеле́тний tysjačelétnij |
noun person from the generation born in the last two decades of the 20th century
| Español | millennial, milenial, milénico, milénica, milenita, milénial |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ミレニアル mireniaru |
| Français | millénial, millénarial |
| Deutsch | Millennial |
| Italiano | millennial |
| Ελληνικά | παιδί της χιλιετίας paidí tis chilietías |
| Русский | миллениал millenial |
Talk about this word "millennial." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/millennial. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. millennial. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/millennial "millennial." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/millennial.Cite this
@misc{millennial_2026,
title = {millennial},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/millennial},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
