- comparative of old.
older
Americanadjective
adjective
-
the comparative of old
-
Also (of people, esp members of the same family): elder. having lived or existed longer; of greater age
Synonym Usage
Older, elder imply having greater age than something or someone else. Older is the usual form of the comparative of old: This building is older than that one. Elder, now greatly restricted in application, is used chiefly to indicate seniority in age as between any two people but especially priority of birth as between children born of the same parents: The elder brother became king.
Explanation
An older person is a senior citizen or someone who's been around long enough that they're not considered "young." If you want to check out some older people, take part in the early bird special at your local diner. You can use the adjective older to describe elderly folks (like your older neighbors who don't drive at night any more) or a person who was born first: "Her older sister was much bossier than her younger sister." You can also use older to talk about things that have been around longer, like older songs or older cars, as opposed to newer things.
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.
Backed by a coalition of non-college-educated, older, and Black voters, Stevens led a poll sponsored by the Detroit News by 7 points this week.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
Public funding is means tested and it is estimated, external that there are two million older people in England now living with some unmet need for social care.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Would they be open to revisiting Charlie and Nick’s love story as older adults?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The older you are when you buy the annuity, the bigger the payout.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
She was about nineteen, a year or two older than I, and came from Penobscot in Maine.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
