geriatric
Americanadjective
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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
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:
Three decades of work as a geriatric psychiatrist have shown me that even as we are better at diagnosis and treatment, medicine is outpacing the educational, social and financial side of Alzheimer’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 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
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
An analysis by Owen Lamont, a portfolio manager at Acadian Asset Management, finds a geriatric stock market is a good thing.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 24, 2026
I feel the Doorman’s snout on my leg now, and he stares up at me with his lovely geriatric eyes.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Among them is dementia, said Emily Finkelstein, a geriatrics provider at the New York-Presbyterian medical center.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
In March 2023, Schmidt met with George Hennawi, the MedStar system’s physician executive director of geriatrics and senior services, as well as others, including a pharmacist who went through her medications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
Do not be fooled by suggestions Australia have unveiled a list of geriatrics, ready to shuffle off to a cricketing retirement home, tending the garden in their baggy green caps.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025
The causes for that kind of commonplace degeneration are complex, says Deborah M. Kado, chief of research for geriatrics at Stanford University and co-director of the Stanford Longevity Center.
From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2025
She wore the insignia of a geriatrics supervisor.
From Life Sentence by Francis, Dick
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.
