geriatric
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to geriatrics or old age.
the hospital's geriatric ward.
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noting or relating to aged people or animals: a geriatric pet.
geriatric patients;
a geriatric pet.
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old, outmoded, or worn out by long use.
The company is suffering from geriatric factories and manufacturing technologies.
noun
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geriatrics
plural
adjective
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of or relating to geriatric medicine or to older people
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offensive (of people or machines) old, obsolescent, worn out, or useless
noun
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old-fashioned an elderly person
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informal an older person considered as one who may be disregarded as senile or unable to look after his or her own best interests
Usage
What does geriatric mean? Geriatric is an adjective that means relating to old age or the care of aged people. A common use of geriatric is in the phrase geriatric medicine (also called geriatrics), which is the branch of medicine dealing with the care of aged persons. Although geriatric was once used in the medical field as a noun meaning an older person, that use is now considered offensive. It is also considered offensive when used as an adjective to describe a thing (such as a machine) that’s worn out or useless. Example: Since older people face unique health risks, it’s important for them to see doctors who specialize in treating geriatric patients.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of geriatric
First recorded in 1925–30; from Greek gér(ōn) “old man” + iatric ( def. )
Explanation
Use the adjective geriatric to describe something that has to do with elderly people. The geriatric ward of a hospital is specifically designated for elderly patients. You can bet they have some pretty lively bingo nights there. Geriatric often describes something related to the medical care of elderly people, like a geriatric hospital. When it’s used outside of a health care context, it takes on a sense of “feeble” or “decrepit.” It can be humorous if you use it about someone or something that's not actually old, like a group of middle-aged people calling their weekly cocktail gatherings the “geriatric club.” But if you call your grandparents’ golf buddies the “geriatric club,” they’d probably be offended.
Vocabulary lists containing geriatric
Ancient Wisdom: Synonyms for "Old"
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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
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This Week in Words: March 9 - 15, 2019
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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.
See Examples For:
This time around, I was already in geriatric pregnancy territory, and I wasn’t getting any younger.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
So has the agency neglected the geriatric underground foundation on which it stands?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The restaurateur is the third generation of his family to run Wattana Panich, famed for the geriatric “mother stock” that forms the backbone of its signature beef noodle soup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
The near-total dominance of a trio of weak albums is a sign of a geriatric culture with no interest in slowing its decline.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
It’s all right to be boggled once in a while, but don’t make a habit of it. bone of contention.This geriatric expression is getting osteoporosis. bored to tears.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Among them is dementia, said Emily Finkelstein, a geriatrics provider at the New York-Presbyterian medical center.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Only 10% of medical schools routinely require rotations in geriatrics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
But some people do opt for testing which is outside standard age-based guidelines, says Dr Carla Perissinotto, a geriatrics specialist at the University of California San Francisco.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025
She worked in geriatrics previously, but is interested in exploring work in a birthing or neonatal unit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2025
She wore the insignia of a geriatrics supervisor.
From Life Sentence by Dick Francis
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.
