middle age

American  

noun

1. the period of human life between youth and old age, sometimes considered as the years between 45 and 65 or thereabout.

---

middle age British  

noun

1. the period of life between youth and old age, usually (in man) considered to occur approximately between the ages of 40 and 60

---

Etymology

Origin of middle age

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Adults in middle age and later life who tend to be more active in the evening were found to have worse cardiovascular health than those who are active earlier in the day.

From Science Daily

Maybe it’s a phase of development not unlike childhood, youth and middle age.

From The Wall Street Journal

He also learns a lesson that anyone in the expansive category of middle age would be wise to heed: Don’t put off your doctors’ appointments.

From The Wall Street Journal

The lyrics are the only giveaway that this is the work of a band in their late middle age - as Jarvis Cocker sings movingly about stagnation, divorce and mortality.

From BBC

The researchers defined peak years as being between ages 20 and 30 for sports and chess, and more middle age—between 40 and 50—for science and music.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• midlife