elderly
Americanadjective
-
of advanced age; old.
discounts for elderly patrons.
-
of or relating to persons in later life.
noun
adjective
Usage
Referring to any group using the formula the elderly , the disabled is nowadays felt to be inappropriate because it glosses over people's individuality and perpetuates stereotypes. It is preferable to use phrases such as disabled people and so forth. Many people also prefer to talk about older rather than elderly people for similar reasons
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of elderly
Explanation
Someone who's elderly is very old. Your elderly neighbor might need help shoveling snow from her sidewalk and going grocery shopping each week. When you talk about an elderly person, you might call him a "senior citizen" or an "older gentleman." We tend to think of people as elderly when they're quite aged and have started to become physically frail. You can also use the adjective for animals or even inanimate objects that are getting old: "That elderly oak tree is going to have to come down." The Old English root ealdorlic means "princely" or "excellent."
Vocabulary lists containing elderly
Ancient Wisdom: Synonyms for "Old"
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Society
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"The Ugly One," Vocabulary from Chapters 16-20
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company has much bigger ambitions than just cleaning, envisioning a world with robots capable of doing tasks like plumbing, electrical work, carpentry and elderly care.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
"There's been a tendency for an increase in adults and the elderly coming to the general clinic," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Among one group of women and children we met Aisha, gaunt and elderly and sitting on the ground.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
But taking away the car keys might be easier than taking measures to prevent the elderly from falling victim to fraud.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
She smiled, and gave some message to an elderly man in white shirt-sleeves, who had followed her to the door.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
