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)

1. old; having lived for relatively many years.

   Synonyms: elder, old; see also Thesaurus:elderly

2. 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.

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.

Translations

old

• Adyghe: жъы (ẑə)
• 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)

• 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: 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)
• Maori: 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
• Telugu: పెద్దలు (te) (peddalu)
• Tocharian B: ktsaitstse, śrāñ
• Tày: ké, ké căng
• 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)

2. (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.

4. (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 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
• Ottoman Turkish: قوجه (koca)
• Portuguese: idoso (pt) m
• Swedish: åldring (sv) c
• Tagalog: matanda
• Tarifit: awessar m, tawessart f
• 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
• Tarifit: iwessura pl