younger
younger — idiom
1. used after a person's complete name to indicate that this person is the younger
used after a person's complete name to indicate that this person is the younger member of a pair who share the same name — typically a parent and child, or two historical figures whose names would otherwise be confused.
William Pitt the Younger became Prime Minister of Britain at the age of twenty-four.
pattern: [Name] the Younger — historical figure title
The gallery owns three oil paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Younger.
pattern: [Name] the Younger — same-family artist
Pliny the Younger described the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in a series of famous letters.
Historians often refer to the pair as Cato the Elder and Cato the Younger to avoid confusion.
A self-portrait of Hans Holbein the Younger hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
- junior
more common in modern American English, often abbreviated as Jr. after a surname
- the Elder
used for the older member of the same-name pair, always capitalised as part of a title
文法句型
[Full Name] the Younger
用法筆記
Only follows a complete proper name (given name + family name). The article 'the' is always present and capitalised as part of the title. This pattern is restricted to historical or formal writing; in everyday conversation, labels like 'junior' (Jr.) are more common in American English.
常見錯誤
younger — noun
1. a person who has lived fewer years than another person; someone who is less adva
a person who has lived fewer years than another person; someone who is less advanced in age compared to someone else, or who belongs to the less senior generation in a family, group, or society.
Liang, as the younger of the two brothers, often helped wash the dishes after dinner.
structure: as the younger of [group]
In many traditional households, the younger is expected to serve tea to the elders first.
generic: the younger + obligation pattern
The village elders passed their stories down to the younger by word of mouth.
Tara, being the younger in the family, was allowed to choose the restaurant for dinner.
The custom requires the younger to greet the older relatives first during the New Year visit.
文法句型
the younger
the younger of [group]
as the younger
用法筆記
This noun form appears almost exclusively with the definite article ('the younger'). In everyday spoken English, speakers prefer 'younger person' or 'younger one' instead. The plural 'the younger' can refer to younger people as a group (e.g. 'the younger in the village').