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.
“But coming to the text again now, you have a slightly different perspective. It reads differently as a middle-aged man. It’s more about love and loss, a middle-aged love story.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Cosmetic injectables were once associated with wealthy, middle-aged clients seeking subtle anti-ageing treatments, but the industry has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
There was Molly Hollis, a middle-aged, Midwestern former schoolteacher whose creation required body padding and a wig; a flamboyant redhead; a nearly invisible elderly woman; and, most uncannily, Reichl’s own mother.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
These cells were found in greater numbers in tissue from middle-aged individuals.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 27, 2026
One night when she reached twenty-seven steps from the house, a middle-aged man with a lantern startled her.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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.
