middle age

noun

: the period of life from about 45 to about 64
middle-aged adjective
middle-ager noun

Examples of middle age in a Sentence

as our generation approaches middle age The patient was in late middle age. He feared the approach of middle age.
Recent Examples on the Web William is bailing on royal funerals for unexplained reasons and is probably, quite understandably, feeling overwhelmed by the problems of middle age coming at him all at once. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Skin Cancer Skin cancer is another condition that may show up during middle age. Madeleine Burry, Health, 28 Feb. 2024 Aphasia tends to develop following a stroke and affects both men and women, typically in their middle age. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 22 Feb. 2024 Yes, people died unexpectedly in late middle age, even with a clean bill of health like Castro’s. Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 6 Feb. 2024 The comedian and actor Chris Gethard, forty-three, talked to Sale about approaching middle age, and moving from a performing-arts career to the nonprofit realm, with a candor that this middle-aged attendee found gratifying. Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023 Luke Combs’ set is the companion to last year’s winner, Growin’ Up, that celebrates the singer/songwriter embracing middle age. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2023 The actress, 54, wrote an op-ed published in Entertainment Weekly on Thursday about the importance of casting middle age women — and casting them in roles their own age and opposite male costars of the same age. Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 Something else miraculous happened for Wilson: a second act, in middle age. Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of middle age was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near middle age

Cite this Entry

“Middle age.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle%20age. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

middle age

noun
: the period of life from about 45 to about 64
middle-aged
ˌmid-ᵊl-ˈājd
adjective

Medical Definition

middle age

noun
mid·​dle age ˌmid-ᵊl-ˈāj How to pronounce middle age (audio)
: the period of life from about 45 to about 64 years of age
middle-aged adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on middle age

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