elderly

English

Etymology

From elder +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɛldɚli/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɛldəli/
Audio (US): (file)
Hyphenation: eld‧er‧ly

Adjective

elderly (comparative more elderly, superlative most elderly)

old; having lived for relatively many years.
Synonyms: elder, old; see also Thesaurus:elderly
Of an object, being old-fashioned or frail due to aging.
Synonyms: dated, outworn, decrepit, timeworn; see also Thesaurus:obsolete, Thesaurus:deteriorated
- 1988, Anne Tyler, chapter 1, in Breathing Lessons:
  The car was parked toward the rear of the shop, an elderly gray-blue Dodge. It looked better than it had in years.
- 2025 October 1, “News: Romic offers all 15 Class 18 hybrid shunters for sale”, in RAIL, number 1045, page 13:
  The fleet had been ordered speculatively by Beacon Rail, and intended as heavy shunting and trip locomotives, as well as a viable low-emission replacement for the elderly Class 08/09 'BR Standard large shunter' which dates from the 1950s and 1960s.

Usage notes

Because the adjective elderly and (especially) the noun elderly are not entirely accepted endonymically (that is, among adults who are senior citizens), the word's exonymic use is increasingly avoided in favor of alternatives. Because the words senior (adjective or noun), old (adjective or noun), and senior citizen also occasionally elicit annoyance endonymically, the alternative older adults is increasingly relied on, at least until the euphemism treadmill might someday turn still further.

Derived terms

Translations

old

Afrikaans: bejaard
Armenian: տարեց (hy) (tarecʻ)
Asturian: vieyu (ast), entradín, entraducu, entradón
Azerbaijani: yaşlı (az)
Belarusian: стары́ (starý), пажылы́ (pažylý), у гада́х (u hadáx), немалады́ (njemaladý)
Bulgarian: стар (bg) (star), въ́зстар (vǎ́zstar), възста́р (vǎzstár), въ́зрастен (bg) (vǎ́zrasten)
Catalan: ancià (ca) m
Chamicuro: shashaka
Cherokee: ᎠᎦᏴᎵ (agayvli)
Chinese:
Dungan: ло (lo)

Mandarin: 老 (zh) (lǎo)
Circassian:
West Circassian: жъы (ẑə)
Czech: starý (cs)
Danish: ældre (da)
Dutch: bejaard (nl)
Esperanto: maljuna, grandaĝa
Finnish: vanha (fi), iäkäs (fi)
French: vieux (fr), ancien (fr), âgé (fr)
Galician: ancián m, anciá f
German: älter (de), bejahrt (de), betagt (de)
Greek: ηλικιωμένος (el) (ilikioménos)
Ancient Greek: γηραιός (gēraiós)
Irish: cnagaosta, scothaosta, seanórtha
Italian: anziano (it) m
Japanese: 年配 (ja) (ねんぱい, nenpai), やや年とった (yaya toshi totta)
Korean: 나이가 지긋하다 (naiga jigeuthada)
Latin: longaevus, senex (la), vetus (la)
Māori: ahungarua, mātāpuputu
Old Norse: aldraðr
Plautdietsch: ellerachtich, oolt
Polish: stary (pl), niemłody (pl)
Portuguese: idoso (pt) m, idosa (pt) f
Romanian: vârsta a treia (ro), bătrân (ro) m or n, bătrână (ro) f
Russian: ста́рый (ru) (stáryj), пожило́й (ru) (požilój), в лета́х (v letáx), в года́х (v godáx), в во́зрасте (ru) (v vózraste), (very old) престаре́лый (ru) (prestarélyj)
Spanish: anciano (es), entrado en años
Swedish: äldre (sv)
Tagalog: matanda
Tamil: முது (ta) (mutu), மூது (ta) (mūtu), முதிய (ta) (mutiya)
Tày: ké, ké căng
Telugu: పెద్దలు (te) (peddalu)
Tocharian B: ktsaitstse, śrāñ
Udmurt: пересь (pereś)
Ukrainian: стари́й (uk) (starýj), лі́тній (uk) (lítnij), у літа́х (u litáx), немолоди́й (nemolodýj), підста́ркуватий (pidstárkuvatyj)
Zazaki: pil, khal (diq)

Noun

elderly (plural elderlies)

(uncommon) An elderly person.
Synonyms: elder, senior; see also Thesaurus:old person

He lives next door to an elderly.

He lives next door to some elderlies.
(with definite article, collective) Older people as a whole.
Synonyms: aged; see also Thesaurus:old person § Holonyms

the elderly

health insurance and retirement income for the elderly

Derived terms

elderly care

Translations

elderly person

Arabic: مُسِنّ m (musinn), مُسِنَّة f (musinna)
Bengali: বয়স্ক (bn) m (boẏosko), বয়স্কা (bn) f (boẏoska), বুজুর্গ (bn) (bujurg)
Bulgarian: възрастен чове́к m (vǎzrasten čovék)
Cebuano: tigulang
Esperanto: maljunulo (eo), grandaĝulo
Finnish: vanhus (fi)
French: aîné (fr) m, personne âgée (fr) f
Galician: ancián m, anciá f
Hindi: बुज़ुर्ग (buzurg)
Italian: anziano (it) m, anziana (it) f, anziani (it) m pl, anziane (it) f pl
Portuguese: idoso (pt) m
Swedish: åldring (sv) c
Tagalog: matanda
Tarifit: awessar m, tawessart f
Turkish:
Ottoman Turkish: قوجه (koca)
Urdu: بزرگ (buzurg)

elderly as group

Arabic: مُسِنُّون m pl (musinnūn), مُسِنّات f pl (musinnāt), مَسانّ pl (masānn)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 老人家 (lou⁵ jan⁴ gaa¹)
Danish: de ældre
Finnish: vanhukset (fi) pl
Irish: seandaoine pl
Italian: anziani (it) pl
Norwegian:
Bokmål: de eldre (no)
Romanian: bătrânime (ro) f, bătrânet (ro) n
Slovak: stárež
Swedish: de äldre
Tamil: முதியோர் (ta) (mutiyōr)
Tarifit: iwessura pl