fortyish

[fawr-tee-ish]

adjective

1. approaching or around the age of 40 years.

2. around the number 40 or a quantity of 40.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fortyish¹

First recorded in 1815–25; forty + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

In 1948, when she was 23, her hair was streaked with gray so she could play a fortyish newspaper publisher with a yen for Spencer Tracy in “State of the Union.”

Read more on Washington Times

The Honorable Stephen Wilson, in explaining the case, tells the fortyish prospective jurors that Elon Musk “posted a series of tweets on his Twitter” very sincerely, a statement that had been tediously ironed out with both sets of lawyers the day before.

Read more on The Verge

Last week, joined by a pastor from Fort Worth, Texas, our host spent a pleasant fortyish minutes moseying around the question of “mainstream celebrity Christian culture and how the fashion and brand-name stuff fits in.”

Read more on The New Yorker

The fortyish pair have been bickering since we met them.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Fortyish and stably settled in Staten Island, Lisa has evidently done a lot right with her life: she’s a dedicated, well-liked teacher with a secure, longstanding job, is married to a decent, loving man and has raised two reasonably bright, reasonably well-adjusted children to near-adulthood.

Read more on The Guardian