elderly meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

elderly

adj

US /ˈɛldɚli/ · UK /ˈɛldəli/

Etymology From elder + -ly.

old; having lived for relatively many years.

Of an object, being old-fashioned or frail due to aging.

The car was parked toward the rear of the shop, an elderly gray-blue Dodge. It looked better than it had in years.1988, Anne Tyler, chapter 1, in Breathing Lessons:
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.2025 October 1, “News: Romic offers all 15 Class 18 hybrid shunters for sale”, in RAIL, number 1045, page 13:

Synonyms: elder, elderly, geriatric, gerontologic, gerontological, long in the tooth, matured, of a certain age, old as Methuselah, on in years, over the hill, senior, superannuated, ivy-covered, preserved, wintry
Antonyms: young
Derived terms: elderliness, illderly, nonelderly, unelderly, wellderly
Hypernyms: anthropic, old
Hyponyms: By degree:, suprageriatric, By gender:, matronly, By reference to hair:, gray, gray-haired, grey, grey-haired, grizzled, grizzly, hoary, silver-haired, silvery-haired, white-haired, By reference to skin:, prune-faced, shriveled-up, wizened, wrinkled, wrinkled-up, wrinkly, wrizled

noun

Etymology From elder + -ly.

Collective, With definite article Older people as a whole.

Uncommon An elderly person.