ninety

noun

nine·​ty ˈnīn-tē 

plural nineties

1

: a number equal to nine times 10 see Table of Numbers

2

nineties plural : the numbers 90 to 99

specifically : the years 90 to 99 in a lifetime or century

She's in her nineties.

ninetieth

ˈnīn-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

ninety adjective

ninety pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of ninety in a Sentence

During the nineties, he was going to college and working part-time.

Recent Examples on the Web

This was like in the late nineties, how bad the porters were being treated. —Outside Online, 23 Apr. 2025

Through the eighties and nineties, Fiesta expanded to include music, food, and celebrations that started small, such as Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA), the Saint Mary’s Oyster Bake, and the King William Fair, evolved into major events that attracted thousands of revelers. —Jill Robbins, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025

Working as a filmmaker in China and negotiating its ever-shifting system of censorship, Lou—who turns sixty this month and began making films in the early nineties—has always been a cinematic shapeshifter. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025

The thick print issues of the nineties, fat with ads for Patagonia and Land Rover, had become notably slimmer. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ninety, adjective, from Old English nigontig, short for hundnigontig, from hundnigontig, noun, group of 90, from hund-, literally, hundred + nigon nine + -tig group of 10; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ninety

• ninety-nine times out of a hundred
• ninety/ninety-nine percent of the time

Kids Definition

ninety

noun

nine·​ty ˈnīnt-ē 

plural nineties

1

: a number equal to nine times 10 see number

2

plural : the numbers 90 to 99 and specifically the years 90 to 99 in a lifetime or century

ninetieth

-ē-əth 

adjective or noun

ninety adjective or pronoun