supercentenarian

American  

[soo-per-sen-tn-air-ee-uhn] / ˌsu pərˌsɛn tnˈɛər i ən /

noun

1. a person who has reached the age of 110.

---

adjective

1. pertaining to or having lived 110 years.

Etymology

Origin of supercentenarian

First recorded in 1830–40; super- ( def. ) + centenarian ( def. )

Explanation

Is your great grandfather 112 years old? If so, he's a supercentenarian, a person who has been alive for more than 110 years. You don't see supercentenarian as much as you see the word it's based on, centenarian, "person who's 100 or older." That's probably because it's extremely rare for anyone to live beyond the age of 110. There may be as many as 150 supercentenarians worldwide, although some experts are dubious that this many people are really as elderly as they claim to be. The word derives from the Latin centum, "hundred," and the prefix super-, "beyond."

Example Sentences

This Viewpoint brings together current knowledge on supercentenarian biology with insights from an exceptional Brazilian cohort.

From Science Daily • Jan. 8, 2026

Kane Tanaka – a Guinness World Records recognized supercentenarian was born on Jan. 2, 1903, in the Fukuoka Prefecture of Japan, reports Kyodo News.

From Fox News • Jan. 3, 2022

She celebrated becoming a supercentenarian on Saturday with close friends and family, who all provided negative Covid test results, and enjoyed a glass or two of her favourite red wine, St John's House said.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2021

According to Crean, the supercentenarian says the secret to his long life is simple: “Be nice to people.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2021

It is incredibly rare to reach supercentenarian status, and rarer still to surpass it.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2021