age

1 of 3

noun

ˈāj

Synonyms of age next

: the time of life at which some particular qualification, power, or capacity arises or rests

the voting age is 18

specifically : majority

: one of the stages of life

: the length of an existence extending from the beginning to any given time

a boy 10 years of age

: lifetime

: an advanced stage of life

: a period of time dominated by a central figure or prominent feature

the age of Pericles

: such as

: a period in history or human progress

the age of reptiles

the age of exploration

: a cultural period marked by the prominence of a particular item

entering the atomic age

: a division of geologic time that is usually shorter than an epoch

: the period contemporary with a person's lifetime or with his or her active life

: a long time

—usually used in plural

haven't seen him in ages

: generation

: an individual's development measured in terms of the years requisite for like development of an average individual

age

2 of 3

verb

aged; aging or ageing

intransitive verb

: to become old : show the effects or the characteristics of increasing age

: to acquire a desirable quality (such as mellowness or ripeness) by standing undisturbed for some time

letting cheese age

transitive verb

: to cause to become old

: to bring to a state fit for use or to maturity

-age

3 of 3

noun suffix

: aggregate : collection

trackage

: action : process

haulage

: cumulative result of

breakage

: rate of

dosage

: house or place of

orphanage

: state : rank

peonage

: charge

postage

Choose the Right Synonym for age

period, epoch, era, age mean a division of time.

period may designate an extent of time of any length.

periods of economic prosperity

epoch applies to a period begun or set off by some significant or striking quality, change, or series of events.

the steam engine marked a new epoch in industry

era suggests a period of history marked by a new or distinct order of things.

the era of global communications

age is used frequently of a fairly definite period dominated by a prominent figure or feature.

the age of Samuel Johnson

Example Sentences

Noun Some people are reluctant to reveal their ages. She died tragically at a young age. The treatment depends on the sex and age of the patient. She died at the ripe old age of 90. The movie appeals to people of all ages. Their son needs to spend more time with children his own age. a group of children ranging in age from 8 to 11 She became involved with a man twice her age. The program is for people over age 50. groups of people classified by race and age Verb As he aged he grew more and more bitter. You haven't aged a day since I saw you last! His troubles have aged him. Exposure to the sun has aged her skin. The wine ages in oak barrels. The wine is aged in oak barrels. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Scottish Parliament passed a bill with cross-party support in December that lowers the age — from 18 to 16 — at which people can apply for a gender recognition certificate. —

Niha Masih, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2023 High cholesterol is sometimes treated with medications like statins, depending on factors such as age and family history, but lifestyle changes tend to be the first treatment, Quinones-Camacho says. —

Elizabeth Millard, Time, 18 Jan. 2023 Gere and Silva turned heads in 2018 when they got married and announced plans to start a family despite their 33-year age difference. —

Tommy Mcardle, Peoplemag, 18 Jan. 2023 And that just basically means fewer working age adults are actually working as opposed to, say, focusing on the unemployment rate, which is what people do. —

Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2023 That continuity is rare in the transfer portal age, and the benefits are obvious. —

Ben Steele, Journal Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2023 Wang and his colleagues used software to comb through data from a study of around 1,500 Icelanders and their parents that tracked age of conception and genetic changes between three generations. —

Freda Kreier, Scientific American, 18 Jan. 2023 In this new space age, the dread of radiation still looms. —

Mrigakshi Dixit, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Jan. 2023 If a commercial entity or third party performs a reasonable age verification, the commercial entity shall not retain any identifying information of the individual after access to the material has been granted under Senate Bill 66. —

Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Online, 18 Jan. 2023

Verb

Modern Brutalist-style architecture constructed with concrete and wood, designed to age and develop a patina based on the principles of wabi-sabi. —

Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2022 Ogle wanted to age in her Yakutat home and had planned to use that money for her future care, according to Goldstein. —

Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Dec. 2022 Aged in multiple casks, including those used to age extra old cognac, this non-peated whiskey nonetheless has a robust, faintly smoky flavor that make for a fascinating alternative to your usual scotch. —

Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 30 Nov. 2022 If American Beauty is the suburban ennui meditation that has grown a bit of mold, Paolo Sorentino's La Grande Belezza (The Great Beauty) is the urban ennui meditation sure to age like the best of Italian wine. —

Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 30 Nov. 2022 Per Vanity Fair, the 39-year-old actor took genetic tests for Limitless, a docuseries that explores how to age slower. —

Vulture, 19 Nov. 2022 As Americans continue to age, get sick, and navigate the health-care system, many of us may become more invested in the idea of open notes. —

Zoya Qureshi, The Atlantic, 15 Nov. 2022 This lets characters age in reverse, come back to life, and arrive at the moment that sets them off in the wrong (or right) direction. —

Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 6 Jan. 2023 Adults who aren't sufficiently hydrated may age faster, face a higher risk of chronic diseases and be more likely to die younger than those who stay well-hydrated, according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health. —

Aria Bendix, NBC News, 2 Jan. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'age.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French aage, age (earlier Old French edage, eage), from eé, aé "age, lifetime" (going back to Latin aetāt-, aetās, contraction of earlier aevitās, from aevum "time, lifetime" + -itāt-, -itās -ity) + -age -age — more at aye entry 3

Verb

Middle English agen, derivative of age age entry 1

Noun suffix

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin -āticum (as in viāticum "provision for a journey"), neuter of -āticus, adjective suffix of appurtenance, from -a- (probably generalized from verbal derivatives, as vēnāticus "used for hunting," from vēnārī "to hunt") + -ticus, borrowed from Greek -tikos, generalized from derivatives of agent nouns (as athlētikós athletic) from athlḗtēs athlete