elderly

English

Etymology

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.

Translations

old

• Adyghe: жъы (ẑə)
• Afrikaans: bejaard
• Armenian: տարեց (hy) (tarecʿ)
• 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
• 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)

1. An elderly person.
2. (with definite article, collective) Older people as a whole.

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