middle-aged
Americanadjective
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being of the age intermediate between youth and old age, roughly between 45 and 65.
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characteristic of or suitable for persons of this age.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of middle-aged
First recorded in 1600–10
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.
You are middle-aged and appear to have substantial assets in the form of real estate and, I presume, significant retirement funds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
"While we found links to cognitive decline for middle-aged people both with and without diabetes, people with diabetes are more likely to use artificial sweeteners as sugar substitutes," Suemoto said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
In several Western countries, self-reported loneliness among young adults appears to have risen over the past four or five decades; young adults report more loneliness than middle-aged or older adults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
“But coming to the text again now, you have a slightly different perspective. It reads differently as a middle-aged man. It’s more about love and loss, a middle-aged love story.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
"She went out," a voice calls, a middle-aged woman standing on the stoop across the street.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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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.