seventy

noun

sev·​en·​ty ˈse-vən-tē How to pronounce seventy (audio)
ˈse-bᵊm-,
-dē
plural seventies
1
: a number equal to seven times 10 see Table of Numbers
2
seventies plural : the numbers 70 to 79
specifically : the years 70 to 79 in a lifetime or century
3
capitalized : a Mormon elder ordained for missionary work under the apostles
seventieth
ˈse-vən-tē-əth How to pronounce seventy (audio)
ˈse-bᵊm-
-dē-
adjective or noun
seventy adjective
seventy pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of seventy in a Sentence

She is in her seventies.
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.
Growing up in the seventies, however, his earliest recognition of beauty was not of himself, but of his mother. Essence, 24 June 2025 In another, Jenner goes for peak seventies decadence while lounging in the Light Zebra Print from head to toe, wearing the collection’s one-piece, chiffon cover-up, and matching headscarf (on a matching animal print chair, no less). Lauren Alexis Fisher, Footwear News, 24 June 2025 One story is about the publishing industry’s loss of interest in Black authors that began sometime in the seventies, when the revolution began to feel over—at least for people in the publishing industry. Benjamin Hale june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025 Jaws was criticized for shepherding Hollywood out of the daring age of the late sixties and early seventies into a more impersonal multiplex age, but that’s not the film’s fault: That’s just a measure of how amazing an achievement Jaws actually was. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for seventy

Word History

Etymology

seventy, adjective, from Middle English, from Old English seofontig, short for hundseofontig, from hundseofontig, noun, group of seventy, from hund hundred + seofon seven + -tig group of ten; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seventy was in the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Seventy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seventy. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

seventy

noun
sev·​en·​ty ˈsev-ən-tē How to pronounce seventy (audio)
plural seventies
: a number equal to seven times 10 see number
seventieth adjective or noun
seventy adjective or pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on seventy

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