sexagenarian
Americanadjective
noun
noun
adjective
-
being from 60 to 69 years old
-
of or relating to a sexagenarian
Usage
What does sexagenarian mean? A sexagenarian is someone in their 60s (60 to 69 years old), or someone who is 60 years old.Sexagenarian can also be used as an adjective to describe someone in their 60s, as in Our audience is mostly made up of sexagenarian women, or things related to such a person, as in I have entered my sexagenarian years. It’s one of several similar terms used to refer to a person of a certain age, including quadragenarian (40s), quinquagenarian (50s), septuagenarian (70s), octogenarian (80s), and nonagenarian (90s).Such words are more commonly used as people get older: sexagenarian is more common than quadragenarian and quinquagenarian, which are rarely used. Septuagenarian and octogenarian are even more commonly used.Another word for sexagenarian is sexegenary.Example: Today is my last day as a sexagenarian—tomorrow I begin my 70s!
Other Word Forms
- sexagenary adjective
Etymology
Origin of sexagenarian
1730–40; < Latin sexāgēnāri ( us ) sexagenary + -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.
A dapper, youthful sexagenarian who smokes Benson-brand African cigarettes, Fosso smiles a lot, but his eyes are haunted by tragedy.
From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2023
A sexagenarian who revels in routine, Otto wakes up at 6:29 a.m. — seconds before his alarm is set to go off — and makes the rounds in his gated Pittsburgh cul-de-sac.
From Washington Post • Jan. 4, 2023
“This is a sexagenarian with an acoustic guitar. All the outrage and concern are entirely about the quote message it sends unquote,” the statement said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2022
When British sexagenarian sisters Mildred Bowman and Alice Wardle failed to return from their vacation to Benidorm, Spain, in 2005, a friend alerted the authorities.
From Salon • Jul. 17, 2021
Black-draped sexagenarian leaned down to examine pink- swaddled infant.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
