ageism

[ey-jiz-uhm]

noun

1. discrimination against persons of a certain age group.

2. a tendency to regard older persons as debilitated, unworthy of attention, or unsuitable for employment.

ageism

/ ˈeɪdʒɪzəm /

noun

1. discrimination against people on the grounds of age; specifically, discrimination against the elderly

Other Word Forms

• ageist adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ageism¹

First recorded in 1965–70; age + -ism, on the model of sexism, racism, etc.

Example Sentences

In June, he was hired as executive director of a U.S.-based nonprofit, Old School Hub, that works to combat ageism around the world.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Art Agnos, a former San Francisco mayor, questions the acceptance of ageism in politics when such discrimination is condemned across other professions and sectors of society.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Of course, not everyone can keep working that long due to factors including physically demanding jobs, ageism, layoffs, caregiving responsibilities or their own health needs.

Read more on MarketWatch

“I am up against two things now — AI and ageism. Being typecast is an industrywide issue, but I did hope that wouldn’t be the case with audiobook narration since the voice is so flexible.”

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Meanwhile, ageism can create biases that limit older peoples’ participation in disaster planning, leading to programs insufficiently tailored to their needs.

Read more on Salon

When To Use

What is ageism?

Ageism is treating people of a certain age group negatively solely because of their age, as in Thinking that all teenagers are irresponsible is ageism.Ageism is any form of discrimination against people because of their age. Most often, ageism is targeted toward older people, such as thinking that elderly people are helpless because of their advanced age. However, any age group can be discriminated against. For example, thinking that someone in their 20s is too young to be a manager is ageism. So is thinking that teenagers are irresponsible.Example: When you don’t get hired for a position you’re qualified for just because you’re older, that sounds like ageism.