golden age

American  

[gohl-dn eyj-] / ˈgoʊl dn eɪdʒˈ /

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.

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golden age British  

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

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golden age Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of golden age

First recorded in 1545–55

Example Sentences

Yet it's one thing being among the world's greatest defenders at one of Europe's biggest clubs during a golden age of Italian football.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

"The Hobby-Eberly is a pioneering telescope. And with new, complementary instruments coming online, we're entering a golden age for mapping the cosmos."

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026

“We are now entering a new phase in the golden age of nuclear,” declared Michael Shanks, a U.K. energy minister, as he recently talked up the country’s plans to attract private investment in new reactors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

The last decade has been a golden age for young female songwriters: Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

But he himself had made the invocation useless, a ruined totem of a lost golden age.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan