the elder

noun

1

—used in comparing the ages of two people who are members of the same family

He's the elder of her two brothers.

2

—used to refer to the older of two people (such as a father and son) who have the same name

Pliny the Elder and his nephew Pliny the Younger

Examples of the elder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Several members of this Raiders regime have ties to the elder Kubiak. — Sam Warren, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2026

Gerber, whose mother Cindy Crawford was married to the elder Gere from 1991 to 1995, spoke highly of her costar. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026

Sean Hepburn Ferrer, the elder of Hepburn’s two sons, recalls an incident where his stepfather, the actress’ second husband Andrea Dotti, was nearly kidnapped from the family home. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 24 July 2026

Baker Mayfield is the elder statesman among the starters and fresh off his Netflix debut. — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Rhymes for the elder

• welder