centenarian

A centenarian is someone who is 100 years old or older.

Centenarian can also be used as an adjective to describe someone who’s 100 or older, as in The ceremony honored centenarian veterans, or things related to such a person, as in I have entered my centenarian years. 

It’s one of several similar terms used to refer to a person of a certain age, including quadragenarian (40s), quinquagenarian (50s), sexagenarian (60s), septuagenarian (70s), octogenarian (80s), and nonagenarian (90s).

Someone who is 110 years or older can be called a supercentenarian. Actually, if you’re 110 or older, you can be called whatever you want.

Example: I can’t believe I’m going to be a centenarian—tomorrow I turn 100!

Centenarian comes from the Latin word centenāri(us), from centēn(ī), meaning “a hundred each,” from cent(um), “one hundred.” The suffix -an is used to indicate a person (as seen in common words like pedestrian and historian).

Living to be 100 is becoming more common, but it’s still somewhat rare. The word centenarian is often used in celebration of the achievement, or as a fancy or fun way of referring to someone of that age. As much fun as it is to say, it’s perhaps more often used in writing. It’s also used in the context of highlighting a person who’s doing something that may be surprising for their age, as in These centenarians who still exercise every day never cease to impress me.

What are some synonyms for centenarian?

• 100-year-old
• 100-something

What are some words that share a root or word element with centenarian? 

• centenary
• quadragenarian
• quinquagenarian
• sexagenarian
• septuagenarian
• octogenarian
• nonagenarian

What are some words that often get used in discussing centenarian?

• hundred
• age
• year
• old
• decade
• life
• birthday
• milestone

Centenarian is often used in a celebratory way.

Is 100 the new 80? Centenarians are becoming more common https://t.co/d9pFLsoRW5 #demographics #population #ageing lifeexpectancy pic.twitter.com/YJStGdYYyL

— World Economic Forum (@wef) July 18, 2020

I'm vacating my home for two weeks to give it to a colleague to self-isolate and moving in with Grandma Hopper. I suspect all kinds of Bosom Buddy hijinks will shortly follow, except with centenarian war widows.

— Tristin Hopper (@TristinHopper) July 21, 2020

For Vermonter Jane Curtis, patriotism means protest. The centenarian activist has spent her life fighting for the causes and country she believes in. https://t.co/ZoQ69SXzgH

— The Christian Science Monitor (@csmonitor) July 15, 2020

Is centenarian used correctly in the following sentence?

I can’t believe I’m nearing my centenarian years—40 seems like yesterday.