seventy

noun

sev·​en·​ty ˈse-vən-tē How to pronounce seventy (audio)
ˈse-bᵊm-
-dē
plural seventies
1
: a number equal to seven times 10 see Table of Numbers
2
seventies plural : the numbers 70 to 79
specifically : the years 70 to 79 in a lifetime or century
3
Seventy : a Latter-day Saint elder ordained for missionary work under the apostles
seventieth
ˈse-vən-tē-əth How to pronounce seventy (audio)
ˈse-bᵊm-
-dē-
adjective or noun
seventy adjective
seventy pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of seventy in a Sentence

She is in her seventies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Yuji Akagawa, a grandfather in his seventies, was the proprietor and key administrator. Literary Hub, 17 June 2026 The ads may seem tame by today's standards, but their overt sexuality was shocking in the late seventies. Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026 In the eighteen-seventies, as now, most people who bought stocks and bonds were well off. John Cassidy, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 Willie Nelson preaching the health benefits of cannabis in the seventies as Nixon declared the War on Drugs. Philip Wolf, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for seventy

Word History

Etymology

seventy, adjective, from Middle English, from Old English seofontig, short for hundseofontig, from hundseofontig, noun, group of seventy, from hund hundred + seofon seven + -tig group of ten; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seventy was in the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Seventy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seventy. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

seventy

noun
sev·​en·​ty ˈsev-ən-tē How to pronounce seventy (audio)
plural seventies
: a number equal to seven times 10 see number
seventieth adjective or noun
seventy adjective or pronoun

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