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.
“Death of the Last Cowhand” here is a touching poem by rancher Linda Hasselstrom memorializing the last days of a nonagenarian cowboy who literally died with his boots on.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Underscoring the gravity of the moment, Díaz-Canel stressed that the talks were directed by him and “the historic leader of our revolution,” Raúl Castro, the nonagenarian younger brother of Fidel, who died in 2016.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026
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
The nonagenarian has already been in power since 1982 - another seven-year mandate could see him rule for 50 years until he will be almost 100.
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025
The most interesting portrait of Bancroft presents him as a nonagenarian, against this impressive background, at work to the last.
From The Last Leaf Observations, during Seventy-Five Years, of Men and Events in America and Europe by Hosmer, James Kendall
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.
