- comparative of old.
older
Americanadjective
adjective
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the comparative of old
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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.
Naturally, Varnell, deemed out of touch, is resistant to the characterization and the alterations, and much of the comedy is mined from the contrast between the older and younger characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Lake Annecy is only 50km from Switzerland, where the Luger P06 will have been familiar to older people from their military service.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The alignment may be produced by mantle flow, pockets of melt, or older structures already present in the lithosphere.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
In Las Vegas, Kim envisions baseball fans walking through Bally’s restaurants, bars and entertainment spaces on their way to A’s games, much as fans now stream through the neighborhoods surrounding older urban ballparks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Thanks to the movie magazines, I also knew that Anna May was nineteen, just three years older than me.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
