nonagenarian
Americanadjective
noun
noun
adjective
Usage
What does nonagenarian mean? A nonagenarian is someone in their 90s (90 to 99 years old), or someone who is 90 years old. Nonagenarian can also be used as an adjective to describe someone in their 90s, as in Our audience is mostly made up of nonagenarian women, or things related to such a person, as in I have entered my nonagenarian years. It’s one of several similar terms used to refer to a person of a certain age, including quadragenarian (40s), quinquagenarian (50s), sexagenarian (60s), septuagenarian (70s), octogenarian (80s), and centenarian (100 or older). Example: Today is my last day as a nonagenarian—tomorrow I turn 100!
Etymology
Origin of nonagenarian
1795–1805; < Latin nōnāgēnāri ( us ) containing ninety, consisting of ninety ( nōnāgēn ( ī ) ninety each + -ārius -ary ) + -an
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.
He also dismissed allegations by the opposition that the nonagenarian leader's absence amounted to a vacancy at the helm of the state, saying Biya continues to work from Geneva.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The study’s authors examined results from about 4,000 brain scans taken from people in the U.S. and U.K., ranging from a newborn baby to a nonagenarian.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
He revved up his real-estate activities, working with a young neighbor to place big, long-term wagers, unusual for a nonagenarian.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Raoni Metuktire, the nonagenarian leader of the Kayapo people who rose to fame in the 1980s campaigning against deforestation with British musician Sting, is attending COP30 talks in the Amazon city of Belem.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
Good at a hunting-breakfast where the host is a nonagenarian, who can observe "1801?—the year of my birth!"
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 100, January 3, 1891 by Various
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.
