ninety

noun nine·ty \ ˈnīn-tē \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

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

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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

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
Marguerite was fiercely independent, and maintained her own apartment well into her nineties, loved by her neighbors and others in the community.

— courant.com, "Marguerite Hollis," 18 Mar. 2018
People living into their nineties will be eligible for about double the retirement benefits of those who live the average life expectancy.

— mark penn, WSJ, "Small Trends Can Be BIG," 16 Mar. 2018
Practically every nineties song can think of was remixed into the soundtrack, making a cacophony of greatest hits.

— rhonda richford, The Hollywood Reporter, "London Fashion Week: Roksanda Cozies Up; Erdem's Dark Florals," 20 Feb. 2018
Not in its opinions on politics or nineties sit coms.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "What's the Deal with Massaging Kale?," 19 Jan. 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

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