geriatric

American  

[jer-ee-a-trik, jeer-] / ˌdʒɛr iˈæ trɪk, ˌdʒɪər- /

adjective

1. of or relating to geriatrics or old age.

   the hospital's geriatric ward.

2. noting or relating to aged people or animals: a geriatric pet.

   geriatric patients;

   a geriatric pet.

3. old, outmoded, or worn out by long use.

   The company is suffering from geriatric factories and manufacturing technologies.

---

noun

1. Often Offensive. an aged person.

geriatric British  

/ ˌdʒɛrɪˈætrɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to geriatric medicine or to older people

2. offensive (of people or machines) old, obsolescent, worn out, or useless

---

noun

1. old-fashioned an elderly person

2. 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.

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.

Example Sentences

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

Seeking a fresh start, Petriscak retired from her career as a geriatric nurse practitioner and left California.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

She is also a geriatric nurse practitioner and has many older patients who want to remain in their house.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

This makes sense to Dr Mary Ni Lochlainn, a clinical lecturer in geriatric medicine at King's College London.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

These days it was popular only with the geriatric crowd, but this didn’t bother me.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Related Words

• aged
• ancient
• decrepit
• elderly
• gray
• mature
• tired
• venerable