Not yet mature or aged; young. "Two youthful
knights." --Dryden. Also used figuratively. "The youthful season of
the year." --Shak. [1913 Webster]
Of or pertaining to the early part of life;
suitable to early life; as, youthful days; youthful sports. "Warm,
youthful blood." --Shak. "Youthful thoughts." --Milton. [1913
Webster]
Fresh; vigorous, as in youth. [1913 Webster]
After millions of millions of ages . . . still youthful and
flourishing. --Bentley. [1913 Webster] Syn: Puerile; juvenile.
Usage: Youthful,
Puerile, Juvenile. Puerile is always
used in a bad sense, or at least in the sense of what is suitable
to a boy only; as, puerile objections, puerile amusements, etc.
Juvenile is sometimes taken in a bad sense, as when speaking of
youth in contrast with manhood; as, juvenile tricks; a juvenile
performance. Youthful is commonly employed in a good sense; as,
youthful aspirations; or at least by way of extenuating; as,
youthful indiscretions. "Some men, imagining themselves possessed
with a divine fury, often fall into toys and trifles, which are
only puerilities." --Dryden. "Raw, juvenile writers imagine that,
by pouring forth figures often, they render their compositions warm
and animated." --Blair. [1913 Webster] -- Youth"ful*ly, adv. --
Youth"ful*ness, n.
[1913 Webster]
Word Net
youthfulness n : the freshness and vitality characteristic of a young person [syn: youth, juvenility]In evolutionary
psychology, youthfulness, characterized by such factors as
vigor, flexibility, bounciness, smooth body surfaces, babyfaceness,
etc., is one of a number of traits, including averageness and
symmetry, associated with health, physical
attractiveness and beauty of a person or animal. It
is also hypothesized as a factor in both interpersonal
attraction and interpersonal chemistry.
In short, the one factor that has universal
appeal is youthfulness. Youthfulness generally is associated with
fertility. Men and women, however, have different fertility curves;
subsequently, men and women age differently. Men, in some cases can
continue to reproduce into their 70s, whereas for women, it is
generally difficult to conceive past age 45. Outward physical
appearance tends to exemplify inner fertility levels. In the early
20s, for example, the female breasts have become fully swollen, but
have not yet begun to sag. Similarly, the age of maximum fecundity for the female, i.e.
the age at which she is most likely to be successful at bringing
her fetus to term is age 22.
In terms of mate trait desireabilities, aside
from such common wants such as sincerity and faithfulness,
"youthfulness" tops the list for men, whereas with women "economic
capacity" is the highest rated.
References
External links
- Babyfaceness – Beauty Check