ninety

noun nine·ty \ ˈnīn-tē \

|Updated on: 30 May 2018

Examples: ninety in a Sentence

Definition of ninety

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.

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ninetieth

play \ˈnīn-tē-əth\ adjective or noun

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ninety

adjective

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ninety

pronoun, plural in construction

See ninety defined for English-language learners

See ninety defined for kids

Examples of ninety in a Sentence

During the nineties, he was going to college and working part-time.

Recent Examples of ninety from the Web

Such was the case with the two-toned Herve Chapelier nylon totes of the late nineties and early aughts; now, in the age of Instagram, it’s Cult Gaia’s Ark bag.

— alexandra ilyashov, Glamour, "The Full Story Behind Fashion's Favorite—and Most Affordable—'It Bag'," 16 May 2018
So far, however, the uber nineties aesthetic has been a bit polarizing on Instagram.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "Too Faced's 20th Birthday Collection Will Stoke Your '90s Nostalgia," 3 May 2018
Weekend project Since Caboodles seem to be a relic of the nineties, an important question remains: What's the best way to organize your makeup?

— lauren le vine, Redbook, "What Else: The Bloody Mary That's Also a Meal — and More," 22 Mar. 2013
Plus, this was the late nineties and early aughts, when everyone on the planet wanted to emulate J.Lo's perfectly tawny glow.

— nicole catanese, Glamour, "I've Worn Self-Tanner Every Day for the Past 20 Years and I'll Never Stop," 22 Mar. 2018
Throughout the nineties each of the coconspirators was indicted, extradited to Oregon, and tried for her participation in the assassination plot.

— win mccormack, The New Republic, "Bhagwan’s Sexism," 12 Apr. 2018
Hurst, as a Pittsburgh Pirate minor-league pitcher throwing in the mid-nineties, got the yips and had to quit baseball.

— peter king, SI.com, "Everything to Know About the 2018 NFL Draft Crop, According to Gil Brandt," 8 Apr. 2018
In the nineties, the rules for how to be cool were pretty simple.

— rebecca schuman, Longreads, "You’ve Reached the Winter of Our Discontent," 28 Mar. 2018
Of the stores that defined American shopping in the late nineties and early 2000s, none had as lasting—or notorious—a legacy as Abercrombie & Fitch.

— halie lesavage, Glamour, "Abercrombie & Fitch," 16 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ninety.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ninety

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year