Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

elderly

play
adjective el·der·ly \ˈel-dər-lē\

Definition of elderly

  1. 1a :  rather old; especially :  being past middle ageb :  old-fashioned

  2. 2 :  of, relating to, or characteristic of later life or elderly persons

elderliness

noun

See elderly defined for English-language learners

See elderly defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?
istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz
alt-594d2b6325245
'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength
alt-594ab41a604d2
Trending: Kim and Kanye Might Have Hired a Surrogate Mother

Examples of elderly in a Sentence

  1. The program is intended to provide medical care for elderly people.

  2. elderly people who stay active are usually the healthiest and the happiest

1611

First Known Use of elderly

1611

elderly Synonyms

Synonyms
aged, aging (or ageing), ancient, geriatric, long-lived, old, older, over-the-hill, senescent, senior, unyoung, long in the tooth, of a certain age
Antonyms
young, youthful
Related Words
centenarian, nonagenarian, octogenarian, septuagenarian, sexagenarian; oldish; adult, grown-up, mature, middle-aged; pensioned, retired, superannuated; matriarchal, patriarchal, venerable; anile, decrepit, doddering, senile, spavined, tottery; overage (also overaged)
Near Antonyms
ageless; youngish; adolescent, immature, juvenile, preteen, puerile; minor, underage; callow, green, inexperienced, raw; babyish, childish, childlike, infantile, infantine, kiddish
2

elderly

noun el·der·ly

Definition of elderly

plural

elderly

or

elderlies

  1. :  an elderly person

1865

First Known Use of elderly

1865

Phrases Related to ELDERLY

Related Phrases

ELDERLY Defined for English Language Learners

elderly

play
adjective

Definition of elderly for English Language Learners

  • : old or rather old : past middle age

ELDERLY Defined for Kids

elderly

play
adjective el·der·ly \ˈel-dər-lē\

Definition of elderly for Students

  1. :  somewhat old

Learn More about elderly

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for elderly Spanish Central: Translation of elderly Nglish: Translation of elderly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of elderly for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about elderly

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up elderly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

perspicuous

play

clear to the understanding

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  2. zealot A fanatical partisan

  3. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  4. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

  5. depose That word might not mean what you think it means.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

elderly

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-594d2b6325245
'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength

Do you take pride in Pride?

image599301899
Pink: The Color that Will Change Your Life

From Fuchsia to Baker-Miller Pink

image2144101468
That Sucks Word Alternatives

Your day is the worst. Your vocabulary is the best.

alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: elderly in a Sentence