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Synonyms

senior citizen

American  

noun

  1. an elderly or aged person, especially one who is retired.

senior citizen British  

noun

  1. an old age pensioner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • senior citizenship noun

Etymology

Origin of senior citizen

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

In 2021, the franchise cast its first Black male lead; last year, it entered the senior citizen dating space with spin-off “Golden Bachelor.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

For a senior citizen on a fixed income, the chance that larger refund “gets spent is extremely high,” Mills said.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026

"The senior citizen was trapped on an upper floor... and unable to get assistance," he told radio outlet DZMM.

From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025

Nawrocki was accused of taking advantage of a vulnerable senior citizen to acquire his council flat at a huge discount in exchange for promises of care that were unfulfilled.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2025

“Why don’t you bring me a wild one, Miss Gilly? I need to wake up that fifty-year-old senior citizen I’ve got for a son.”

From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson

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.