octogenarian

noun

oc·​to·​ge·​nar·​i·​an ˌäk-tə-jə-ˈner-ē-ən How to pronounce octogenarian (audio)
: a person whose age is in the eighties
The octogenarian uses a cane for walking.
octogenarian adjective

Examples of octogenarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At 80, President Joe Biden is not only the first octogenarian in the Oval Office, his relative seniority puts him among the 5% of world leaders who are in their 80s, according to Pew. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2023 Pelosi said critics of octogenarians like herself and Biden and nonagenarians like Feinstein need to appreciate that the test is in the ability to do the job, not one’s age. Amy B Wang, Marianna Sotomayor, Paul Kane, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2023 The reign of the octogenarians is a risky bet for a democracy. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2023 Investigators learned that Fleming and his neighbors had a long-standing dispute, resulting in the vehicle owner’s girlfriend obtaining a peace order against the octogenarian earlier this year, the spokesperson said. Maria Morales, Baltimore Sun, 8 Aug. 2023 Yet even as the bandmembers became octogenarians, the rivalry remains. Shirley Halperin, Variety, 21 Feb. 2023 The third-term Democrat from Minneapolis has publicly expressed concerns about Biden running for a second four-year term in the White House as an octogenarian. Miles J. Herszenhorn, USA TODAY, 29 July 2023 At its simplest form, the squat is an essential movement pattern used by everyone from toddlers to octogenarians to rise from seated to standing positions, and vice versa. Brett Williams, Men's Health, 6 July 2023 The octogenarian was never able to buy a home and spends his retirement income, around 71,000 pesos, or $270, on rent. Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Latin octogenarius containing eighty, from octogeni eighty each, from octoginta eighty, from octo eight + -ginta (akin to viginti twenty) — more at vigesimal

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of octogenarian was in 1815

Dictionary Entries Near octogenarian

Cite this Entry

“Octogenarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/octogenarian. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

octogenarian

noun
oc·​to·​ge·​nar·​i·​an ˌäk-tə-jə-ˈner-ē-ən How to pronounce octogenarian (audio)
: a person whose age is between 80 and 89

Medical Definition

octogenarian

noun
oc·​to·​ge·​nar·​i·​an ˌäk-tə-jə-ˈner-ē-ən How to pronounce octogenarian (audio)
: a person whose age is in the eighties
octogenarian adjective

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