The term yuppie (short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional") refers to a 1980s and early 1990s term for financially secure, upper-middle class young people in their 20s and early 30s. History Although the term yuppies hadn't appeared until the early 1980s, there was discussion about young urban professionals as early as 1968. Critics believe that the demand for "instant executives" has led some young climbers to confuse change with growth. One New York consultan… (More on Yuppies)