ageism

noun

age·​ism ˈā-(ˌ)ji-zəm How to pronounce ageism (audio)
variants or less commonly agism
: prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group and especially the elderly
ageist adjective
or less commonly agist

Examples of ageism in a Sentence

He accused his former employer of ageism when he lost his job to a younger man.
Recent Examples on the Web These women buck ageism by promoting sexiness and grabbing your second or third chance. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Nov. 2023 The survey shed light on how ageism is a driving force behind the silence around menopause in the office. Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 21 Sep. 2023 Here's everything to know about her modeling career, her advocacy against ageism and her perspective on raising a billionaire entrepreneur. Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 1 Aug. 2023 If things have marginally improved for women in film and music, ageism is still rife. Olivia Marks, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2023 Even when you’re fully loaded with so much talent, you could still be overlooked because of stereotypes and ageism. Jeff Nelson, Peoplemag, 27 Sep. 2023 According to a 2020 University of Michigan national poll on healthy aging, women make up a large cohort of the 40% of adults who report sometimes or often experiencing three or more forms of ageism every day, including ageist messaging and interpersonal reactions. Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 21 Sep. 2023 Some of these issues are complicated by fragmented authority at federal, state and local levels, but ageism plays a role. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2023 The 1950 film raised the spectre of ageism in Hollywood. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ageism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

age entry 1 + -ism (as in racism)

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ageism was in 1969

Dictionary Entries Near ageism

Cite this Entry

“Ageism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ageism. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

ageism

noun
age·​ism ˈā-(ˌ)jiz-əm How to pronounce ageism (audio)
: prejudice or discrimination against people of a particular age and especially against the elderly
ageist
-jist
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on ageism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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