twentieth

[ twen-tee-ith, twuhn- ]

/ ˈtwɛn ti ɪθ, ˈtwʌn- /

Save This Word!

adjective

next after the nineteenth; being the ordinal number for 20.

being one of 20 equal parts.

noun

a twentieth part, especially of one (1/20).

the twentieth member of a series.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of twentieth

before 900; Middle English twentithe,Old English twentigotha.See twenty, -eth²

Words nearby twentieth

twelve-string guitar, Twelve Tables, twelve-tone, twelve-tone row, twelve-tone technique, twentieth, Twentieth Amendment, twenty, Twenty20, twenty-eight, twenty-eighth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use twentieth in a sentence

For example, a high-contrast signal will arrive a twentieth of a second faster than a low-contrast signal.
Want art you can’t look away from? These 5 visual illusions will entrance your mind|Corinne Iozzio|July 21, 2021|Popular-Science
The second lesson is that no one writing before the twentieth century holds a key to our problems.
American Democracy Under Threat for 250 Years|Jedediah Purdy|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whatever the true figure, it was a massacre of twentieth-century proportions.
In Threatening Baghdad, Militants Seek to Undo 800 Years of History|Justin Marozzi|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
FoxFaith, established in 2006 by Twentieth Century-Fox, flew under the radar for awhile, and died a quick death.
Bible Flicks Move Beyond the B-List|Lewis Beale|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Beside the fact that they are two of the greatest draughtsmen of the twentieth century.
The Art World’s New Gang War|Anthony Haden-Guest|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1975, Rüdiger Heim, approaching his twentieth birthday, decided that he had to see his father again.
Hunting Down Aribert Heim, Egypt’s Hidden Nazi|Nicholas Kulish, Souad Mekhennet|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hereditary legislation in the twentieth century and the most civilized country in the world!
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
The payment for this drainage was to be one-twentieth part of the ore raised by the different mines.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
When the men landed upon the moon in the twentieth century, they did not find it at first.
Old Friends Are the Best|Jack Sharkey
It is an old, straggling place that seems to be little in harmony with the progress of the Twentieth Century.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, I was by the great river, which is the Tigris.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for twentieth

twentieth

/ (ˈtwɛntɪɪθ) /

adjective

(usually prenominal)

coming after the nineteenth in numbering or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of twenty: often written 20th
(as noun)he left on the twentieth

noun

one of 20 approximately equal parts of something
(as modifier)a twentieth part

the fraction that is equal to one divided by 20 (1/20)

Word Origin for twentieth

from Old English twentigotha

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