octogenarian

noun

oc·​to·​ge·​nar·​i·​an ˌäk-tə-jə-ˈner-ē-ən 

: a person whose age is in the eighties

The octogenarian uses a cane for walking.

octogenarian adjective

Examples of octogenarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rather than young school children, our heroes are octogenarians living in a rather upmarket retirement home (the fictitious Coopers Chase). —Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025

The film’s docufiction-like honesty is the most conspicuous here: to imagine that the Mother Teresa whom the world knows mostly as a faultless octogenarian might have as a younger woman had similar intense moments of extreme conflicting emotions is humanizing, and lovely. —Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025

The notion seemed impossible to widowed octogenarians Dwight Moberg, who lived in Richmond, Calif., and Gina Ceccarelli, of Rome. —Susan Young, People.com, 16 Aug. 2025

Yet many octogenarians face lapses in memory or mobility that limit their independence. —John Samuels, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin octogenarius containing eighty, from octogeni eighty each, from octoginta eighty, from octo eight + -ginta (akin to viginti twenty) — more at vigesimal

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for octogenarian

• authoritarian
• communitarian
• disciplinarian
• egalitarian
• equalitarian
• humanitarian
• majoritarian
• parliamentarian
• radiolarian
• totalitarian
• utilitarian
• agrarian

Kids Definition

octogenarian

noun

oc·​to·​ge·​nar·​i·​an ˌäk-tə-jə-ˈner-ē-ən 

: a person whose age is between 80 and 89

Medical Definition

octogenarian

noun

oc·​to·​ge·​nar·​i·​an ˌäk-tə-jə-ˈner-ē-ən 

: a person whose age is in the eighties

octogenarian adjective