ninety

noun nine·ty \ ˈnīn-tē \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 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

The extreme doping that turned Tour de France cyclists into superhumans started in the early nineties.

— marc peruzzi, Outside Online, "Stop Boycotting Pro Cycling," 6 July 2018
The research also compares current rich-list indicators to the nineties, and times have certainly changed.

— Fox News, "Owning an Apple iPhone is the best way to prove you're rich - replacing mustard," 10 July 2018
Centenarians still have a much higher chance of dying than someone in their nineties.

— laura yan, Popular Mechanics, "How Long Can Humans Really Live?," 1 July 2018
The warning, which began at 11 a.m. Friday and was originally set to end 7 p.m. Saturday, has been extended an extra day as highs creep into the nineties.

— tessa weinberg, chicagotribune.com, "Heat warning extended until Sunday evening as scorching temperatures persist," 30 June 2018
Kids of the sixties had their Easy-Bake Ovens and nineties babies wouldn't go anywhere without those Tamagotchis.

— lindsey murray, Good Housekeeping, "QUIZ: Can You Guess When Your Favorite Childhood Toys Hit Shelves?," 29 June 2018
The late nineties, although often noted as the era of the dot com bubble, was also known for an effort to get Americans to set more money aside for retirement.

— peter dunn, Indianapolis Star, "Pete the Planner: First step you must take to financial security," 27 June 2018
After forming in London in 1964, the band split up in the nineties due to rising tensions between band members.

— sofia mele, Billboard, "The Kinks Frontman Ray Davies Reveals The Band Is Getting Back Together," 26 June 2018
My professor Bob Norman for that course, who has to be in his mid-nineties now, is still going strong at last check.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Point/CounterPoint: Maine's 'ranked choice,' Trump's Sanford snub and what else to watch tonight," 12 June 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