ninety

[ nahyn-tee ]

noun

, plural nine·ties.

1. a cardinal number, ten times nine.
2. a symbol for this number, as 90 or XC.
3. a set of this many persons or things.
4. nineties, the numbers, years, degrees, or the like, from 90 through 99, as in referring to numbered streets, indicating the years of a lifetime or of a century, or degrees of temperature:

   His grandmother is in her nineties.

adjective

1. amounting to 90 in number.

ninety

/ ˈnaɪntɪ /

noun

1. See number
   the cardinal number that is the product of ten and nine See also number
2. a numeral, 90, XC, etc, representing this number
3. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 90 units

determiner

1. 1. amounting to ninety

      ninety times out of a hundred

   2. ( as pronoun )

      at least ninety are thought to be missing

Word History and Origins

Origin of ninety¹

before 1000; Middle English nineti, Old English nigontig. See nine, -ty ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ninety¹

Old English nigontig

Example Sentences

Growing up, I spent countless hours pedaling behind him on a shiny aluminum tandem, exploring rural North Texas roads, where we lived in the nineties, and tackling the rocky singletrack overlooking Lake Grapevine.

From Outside Online

Ninety percent of women waiters get harassed sexually, according to a recent study.

From The Daily Beast

Ninety minutes later, Scheunemann told the organizers of the ski club about the chairlift incident.

From The Daily Beast

There only be nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety pound here.

From The Daily Beast

Ninety miles from American shores, the Castro family rules over the island prison of Cuba guided by communist principles.

From The Daily Beast

Ninety-seven businesses were destroyed and 2,500 more were damaged.

From The Daily Beast

His holy book says: There is more joy over one sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine just men.

From Project Gutenberg

In the year five hundred and ninety-three, the Confraternity of La Misericordia was started in this city.

From Project Gutenberg

This organ comprised no less than ninety-five ranks of Mixture, including two stops of twenty-one and twenty ranks, respectively.

From Project Gutenberg

Why, old Gilbert Spoonholler was ninety-seven year old when he went away.

From Project Gutenberg

Then the company had become bankrupt and only a miserable ninety pounds a year had been saved from the wreckage.

From Project Gutenberg

How Do You Spell 90?

Spelling tips for 90

The word ninety (90) is hard to spell because it can be hard to remember whether to include the e from nine when combining it with the suffix -ty. 

How to spell ninety: To spell ninety, you simply combine the base number (nine) with the suffix -ty, which means “multiple of 10.” 9 x 10 = 90 or, in writing, nine + -ty = ninety.