golden age

American  

[gohl-dn eyj-] / ˈgoʊl dn eɪdʒˈ /

noun

golden ages plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• golden ages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of golden age

First recorded in 1545–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

golden age

The cut comes at a time when other countries are investing in their own national observatories to prepare for, what many astronomers believe will be, the dawn of a golden age in radio astronomy.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

"That's good compared to other European countries, but we now need to accept that the golden age is not coming back."

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

Although the exhibition situates a timeline of the Mughals within global historical reference points—e.g., their artistic golden age began decades before Jamestown was even founded in Virginia—it could have benefited from greater contextualization.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Nostalgia for Broadway’s golden age is proving to be a potent societal anesthetic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

“The Bureau talks about this golden age of humanity before the genetic manipulations in which everyone was genetically pure and everything was peaceful,” Nita says.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth