Search results
- In casual conversation and informal writing, the polite word for an old person is senior or senior citizen, as in this example: Seniors (or senior citizens) qualify for a discount at most movie theaters. Referring to someone as an "old person" is considered very impolite.
www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/Centenarians-seniors-and-other-words-for-old-people
People also ask
What does old age mean?
What does the term 'old person' mean?
Why are people considered old?
What is a polite word for an old person?
a person who is between 80 and 89 years old is an octogenarian; a person who is between 90 and 99 years old is a nonagenarian; These words are for specific age groups, and they are used primarily in formal contexts. In casual conversation and informal writing, the polite word for an old person is senior or senior citizen, as in this example ...
- Quadragenarian
- Quinquagenarian
- Sexagenarian
- Septuagenarian
- Octogenarian
- Nonagenarian
- Centenarian
If you’re between the ages of 40–50, you’re not quite over the hill, as they say. But you are a quadragenarian. The first records of the word quadragenarian come from the 1830s. It comes from the Latin word quadrāgēnāri(us), meaning “consisting of forty,” from quādrāgēn(ī), “forty each.” The suffix -an is used to indicate a person (as seen in commo...
If there’s one bright spot in turning 50, it’s that you get to use words like quinquagenarianto describe yourself now. A quinquagenarianis someone in their 50s (50 to 59 years old), or someone who is 50 years old. Quinquagenarian can also be used as an adjective to describe someone in their 50s, as in I have entered my quinquagenarian years. The fi...
If you’re 60 and you’re feeling down, call yourself a sexagenarian to improve your mood. (You can’t be sad saying that word, you just can’t.) As much fun as it is to say, it’s perhaps more often used in writing. It’s especially used in the context of highlighting a person who’s doing something that may be surprising for their age, as in My sexagena...
A septuagenarian is someone in their 70s (70 to 79 years old), or someone who is 70 years old. Some of the words we highlighted above are rarely used, but what’s interesting is that septuagenarian and octogenarian (coming next) are actually more commonly used. You may have even heard these two before. Maybe the older people get, the more ornate lan...
You know the pattern by now … an octogenarian is someone in their 80s (80 to 89 years old), or someone who is 80 years old. Another less common word for octogenarian is octogenary. The word octogenarian comes from the Latin word octōgēnāri(us), meaning “containing eighty” or “eighty years old,” from octōgēn(ī),meaning “eighty each.”
If you’ve made it this far (in the article or in actual age), we’re impressed. And now you also have one more word added to your extensive vocabulary. A nonagenarian is someone in their 90s (90 to 99 years old), or someone who is 90 years old. Nonagenarianis often used to be fancy or funny when referring to 90-somethings. The first records of the w...
Last, but certainly not least, is centenarian. A centenarian is a truly spectacular person who has reached 10o years of age (or older). Living to be 100 is becoming more common, but it’s still somewhat rare. The word centenarianis often used in celebration of the achievement, or as a lavish or amusing way to refer to someone of that age. Centenaria...
- Prebirth: Potential – The child who has not yet been born could become anything – a Michelangelo, a Shakespeare, a Martin Luther King – and thus holds for all of humanity the principle of what we all may yet become in our lives.
- Birth: Hope – When a child is born, it instills in its parents and other caregivers a sense of optimism; a sense that this new life may bring something new and special into the world.
- Infancy (Ages 0-3): Vitality – The infant is a vibrant and seemingly unlimited source of energy. Babies thus represent the inner dynamo of humanity, ever fueling the fires of the human life cycle with new channels of psychic power.
- Early Childhood (Ages 3-6): Playfulness – When young children play, they recreate the world anew. They take what is and combine it with the what is possible to fashion events that have never been seen before in the history of the world.
Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, seniors, senior citizens, or older adults. [ 1 ] Old age is not a definite biological stage: the chronological age denoted as "old age" varies culturally and historically. [ 2 ]
Jan 27, 2020 · When Does Someone Become ‘Old’? It’s surprisingly hard to find a good term for people in late life. By Joe Pinsker. Runstudio / Getty. January 27, 2020. Once people are past middle age,...
- Joe Pinsker
There are different words for people in each decade of age: A person between 10 and 19 years old is called a denarian. A person between 20 and 29 is called a vicenarian. A person between 30 and 39 is called a tricenarian. A person between 40 and 49 is called a quadragenarian.
Feb 6, 2016 · What do you call them, seniors? That's so high school. Old - sounds a little rude. NPR's Ina Jaffe reports about people over 65 all the time. She's been covering the beat for years and still...
