the elder
noun
1
—used in comparing the ages of two people who are members of the same family
He's the elder of her two brothers.
2
—used to refer to the older of two people (such as a father and son) who have the same name
Pliny the Elder and his nephew Pliny the Younger
Examples of the elder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Along the way, the elder quarterbacks Rodgers and Flacco achieved some unique history.
—
Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Born in 1960, the elder Adams — the one whose wife, Judy, received the surprise visitor to her hotel room — stood out at the rink because of his fondness for stretching on the bench between shifts.
—Rob Rossi, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Reviews have skewed negative (a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes) for the film, which follows the elder Day-Lewis as a recluse and former British soldier who has been living in isolation in the woods for two decades when his brother (Sean Bean) unexpectedly shows up.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2025
Bean and the elder Day-Lewis are two brothers who come together after complicated decades apart.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the elder
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Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Born in 1960, the elder Adams — the one whose wife, Judy, received the surprise visitor to her hotel room — stood out at the rink because of his fondness for stretching on the bench between shifts.
—Rob Rossi, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Reviews have skewed negative (a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes) for the film, which follows the elder Day-Lewis as a recluse and former British soldier who has been living in isolation in the woods for two decades when his brother (Sean Bean) unexpectedly shows up.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2025
Bean and the elder Day-Lewis are two brothers who come together after complicated decades apart.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the elder
Cite this Entry
“The elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20elder. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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