ninety

noun

nine·​ty ˈnīn-tē How to pronounce ninety (audio)
plural nineties
1
: a number equal to nine times 10 see Table of Numbers
2
nineties plural : the numbers 90 to 99
specifically : the years 90 to 99 in a lifetime or century
She's in her nineties.
ninetieth adjective or noun
ninety adjective
ninety pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of ninety in a Sentence

During the nineties, he was going to college and working part-time.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
According to Helen, White took her surname when they got married, in the early nineties, in order to distance himself from his criminal history. Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025 Everything froze in time until the ball crashed against the foul pole and kicked back into the playing field, making the stadium sound like the old place across the street sounded in the dynastic nineties. Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025 A lot has changed in NASCAR since Gordon's peak racing era in the late nineties and early 2000s, especially with the addition of more road courses and new cars that are nearly equal in terms of performance. Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025 In the early nineties, the halcyon days of mountain biking, a cadre of American cyclists competed all over the world on these glorious if archaic machines. Frederick Dreier, Outside, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ninety

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ninety, adjective, from Old English nigontig, short for hundnigontig, from hundnigontig, noun, group of 90, from hund-, literally, hundred + nigon nine + -tig group of 10; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ninety was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Ninety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ninety. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

ninety

noun
nine·​ty ˈnīnt-ē How to pronounce ninety (audio)
plural nineties
1
: a number equal to nine times 10 see number
2
plural : the numbers 90 to 99 and specifically the years 90 to 99 in a lifetime or century
ninetieth adjective or noun
ninety adjective or pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on ninety

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