middle-aged
Americanadjective
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being of the age intermediate between youth and old age, roughly between 45 and 65.
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characteristic of or suitable for persons of this age.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of middle-aged
First recorded in 1600–10
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.
"It looks like him, for sure," she said, showing coordinators a photograph of a smiling, middle-aged man.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
Then, William Hyde, a middle-aged Black man born and bred in Nashville, looked dumbfounded—he too had been stricken by Chud.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Steven, the middle-aged protagonist of Teddy Wayne’s novel “The Au Pair,” wrote a bestseller almost a decade ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Peet is excited by the frank portrayal of it all onscreen: “Seeing more middle-aged women in leading roles makes it more likely that you’re gonna be able to touch on these things.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
There's no Mirjam, but there are girls her age or younger, surrounded by young couples and middle-aged men.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
