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
- elderliness noun
- nonelderly noun
- unelderly adjective
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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"The Ugly One," Vocabulary from Chapters 16-20
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Society
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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.
Families prepare themselves for the worst when an elderly relative is gravely ill, but that doesn't make the loss any easier when it comes.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Besides some streamer vlogs in the area, no formal article or website has ever recognized the elderly man as an idol.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
A third of its population had left to find work on the coast, leaving behind the elderly and the young.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
Four in five include either a child, an elderly individual or a nonelderly individual with a disability.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026
One of these was an elderly Austrian lady whom Willem had sent into hiding here.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions 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.
