millennial

1 of 2

adjective

mil·​len·​ni·​al mə-ˈle-nē-əl 

1

: of or relating to a millennium

This geopolitical specification of the millennium—this identification of the New Jerusalem with a particular place and people—was rare, even in a time of millennial fervor.

—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

2

: of, relating to , or belonging to the generation of people born in the 1980s or 1990s : of or relating to millennials

More than 60% of millennial voters support the birth control mandate.

—Katie McDonough

millennial

2 of 2

noun

: a person born in the 1980s or 1990s

—usually plural

Examples of millennial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Soon, Gen Z and millennial celebrities like Millie Bobbie Brown and Justin Bieber were photographed wearing the patches while running errands, and teenagers posted vlogs on TikTok and YouTube sporting the patches to school. —Morgan Smith,valentina Duarte, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2024

Stunning stat: About 80% of Arya's customers are millennial women and moms. —Kimberly Chin, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024

Noun

About 59% of Gen Zers and 51% of millennials prefer BNPL over retail store credit cards, Lending Tree found. —Bill Hardekopf, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

But for elder millennials, born in 1986 or earlier, and anyone older, Oprah's journey with her weight has a very specific chokehold on you. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1991, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing millennial

• multi-millennial

Kids Definition

millennial

1 of 2 adjective

mil·​len·​ni·​al mə-ˈle-nē-əl 

: of or relating to a millennium

millennial

2 of 2 noun

: a person born in the 1980s or 1990s

—usually used in plural