golden age

[gohl-dn eyj-]

noun

1. the most flourishing period in the history of a nation, literature, etc.

2. Classical Mythology.,  the first and best of the four ages of humankind; an era of peace and innocence that finally yielded to the silver age.

3. (usually initial capital letters),  a period in Latin literature, 70 b.c. to a.d. 14, in which Cicero, Catullus, Horace, Vergil, Ovid, and others wrote; the first phase of Classical Latin.

4. the period in life after middle age, traditionally characterized by wisdom, contentment, and useful leisure.

5. the age at which a person normally retires.

golden age

noun

1. classical myth the first and best age of mankind, when existence was happy, prosperous, and innocent

2. the most flourishing and outstanding period, esp in the history of an art or nation

   the golden age of poetry

3. the great classical period of Latin literature, occupying approximately the 1st century _bc and represented by such writers as Cicero and Virgil

Word History and Origins

Origin of golden age¹

First recorded in 1545–55

Idioms and Phrases

A period of prosperity or excellent achievement, as in Some consider the baroque period the golden age of choral music. The expression dates from the mid-1500s, when it was first applied to a period of classical Latin poetry.

Example Sentences

In the 100 years since, the glamorous building style - evocative of neon-lit jazz bars and the golden age of big motion pictures - rapidly spread around the world.

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But the sky-high expectations of a golden age have tumbled down to earth.

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And the Fed will have contributed to a new golden age.

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Not the 66% of its golden age, but still obscene by normal standards.

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Meanwhile, the reality of sharing a sleeping compartment with up to five other people, snoring or not, can be at stark odds with the romantic view of such travel seen in golden age films.

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