oldster
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From old + -ster, modelled after youngster. Attested from early 19th c.
Noun
[edit]oldster (plural oldsters)
- (informal, sometimes disrespectful) Someone who is old.
- Synonyms: geezer, old timer, senior citizen; see also Thesaurus:old person
- Antonym: youngster
- 1954, Ian Fleming, “The Everglades”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 121:
- 'Oh yes,' laughed Solitaire. 'Plenty of them. All the local inhabitants who take the money off the oldsters, for instance. The people who own the motels and the trailer-camps. You could make plenty of money running the bingo tournaments.'
- 1959, The Farm Quarterly, Volume 14[1], volume 14, Land Media Incorporated, page 20:
- He was quoted as saying alcohol was better than milk in the diet of "oldsters."
- 2020 February 10, David Brooks, “The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake”, in The Atlantic[2]:
- The oldsters start squabbling about whose memory is better. “It was cold that day,” one says about some faraway memory. “What are you talking about? It was May, late May,” says another.
- (nautical) A midshipman of four years' standing; a master's mate.
Further reading
[edit]- “oldster”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present.
- “oldster, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “oldster”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “oldster”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “oldster”, in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2026