elderly
[adjective]
Synonyms: aged, ancient, old, olden

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Antonyms: youthful
Contrasted words: juvenile, young
Related Words: aging, declining

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English Thesaurus: old, elderly, aging, aged, elder brother/sister, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

el‧der‧ly S3 W2 /ˈeldəli $ ˈeldərli/ adjective

1. used as a polite way of saying that someone is old or becoming old:
a well-dressed elderly woman

2. the elderly people who are old:
a retirement village for the elderly

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

elderly
adjective
BAD: John, her elderly son, is still at university.
GOOD: John, her elder son, is still at university.

Usage Note:
elderly = old: 'an elderly man with white hair and a stick'
elder = (of brothers, daughters etc) older: 'our elder daughter'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

old having lived for a long time:
an old man
I’m too old to learn a new language.
elderly a polite word for old:
an elderly lady
a home for the elderly (=elderly people)
If you are elderly, you may be eligible for financial assistance.
aging (also ageing British English) [only before noun] becoming old:
an ageing rock star
the problems of an ageing population
aged /ˈeɪdʒəd, ˈeɪdʒɪd/ [only before noun] written aged relatives are very old:
aged parents
She had to look after her aged aunt.
elder brother/sister especially British English [only before noun] an older brother or sister. Elder sounds more formal than older:
I have two elder brothers.
ancient [not usually before noun] informal very old – used humorously:
I’ll be 30 next year – it sounds really ancient!
be getting on (in years) informal to be fairly old:
He’s 60 now, so he’s getting on a bit.
be over the hill (also be past it British English) informal to be too old to do something:
Everyone thinks you’re past it when you get to 40.
geriatric [only before noun] relating to medical care and treatment for old people:
a geriatric hospital
geriatric patients
antique antique furniture, clocks, jewellery etc are old and often valuable:
an antique writing desk
age-old used about traditions, problems, or situations that have existed for a very long time:
the age-old tradition of morris dancing
the age-old prejudice against women in positions of power
the age-old problem of nationalism
age-old hatreds between religious groups

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲