Showing results for "eldest"

• superlative of old.

eldest

American  

[el-dist] / ˈɛl dɪst /

adjective

1. oldest; firstborn; of greatest age: eldest sister;

   eldest brother;

   eldest sister;

   eldest born.

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eldest British  

/ ˈɛldɪst /

adjective

1. being the oldest, esp the oldest surviving child of the same parents

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Etymology

Origin of eldest

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English eldesta, superlative of eald, ald; see old

Explanation

Someone who's described as eldest in their family was born first. Your eldest sister is the oldest one. Use the adjective eldest when you're describing people in terms of birth order: the oldest is the eldest. Your eldest friend is older than your other friends. You can also use the word as a noun, meaning "firstborn." Your mom might introduce you by saying, "This is my eldest." It's a somewhat formal, old fashioned word, much less popular today than "oldest."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eldest

Three years before Kent’s parents, Sherry and Alan, bought their eldest boy the Toyota truck, they saw his work ethic and drive in 1982 while Jeff tried to earn money for his Walkman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, the president’s eldest sons, have a portfolio of tech companies that are raking in billions from the Pentagon.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

Ms. Aviv writes of a psychotic mother with persecutory delusions who thinks her eldest daughter is in league with a scheming professor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Katherine was the eldest of three children Short shared with his late wife, Nancy.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

“It appears not: I fancy neither she nor her sister have very large fortunes. Old Lord Ingram’s estates were chiefly entailed, and the eldest son came in for everything almost.”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• earlier