Word Power: Having Lived for Many Years

Elderly people listen to a tour guide in a church in central London, November 29, 2005. Photo: Toby Melville/Reuters

Thesaurus Article: Having Lived for Many Years

These words refer to people who have lived for many years.

One of the most common words for this is “old” /əʊld/.

+ He was an old man.

+ I hope that my hair turns completely grey when I get older.

The opposite of “old” is “young” /jʌŋ/.

+ I was just like you when I was young.

+ She’s a young woman.

“Old” can be too strong or forceful for some people who do not like to be reminded of their age. “Elderly” /ˈeldərli/ is a polite way of describing someone who is old.

+ A large number of elderly people live alone.

“The elderly” is used to refer to the group of people who are old.

+ Many among the elderly cannot afford to pay their electricity bills.

“Aged” /eɪdʒd/ and “ageing” /ˈeɪdʒɪŋ/ can be used to describe people who are old. “Ageing” is the UK English spelling of this word. The US English spelling is “aging”.

+ He has to look after his aged aunt.

+ (UK) The ageing chairman was forced to retire.

An informal way of saying that someone is old is to use the phrase “be getting on”.

+ He’s getting on in years. He’ll soon be eighty.

“Geriatric” /ˌdʒeriˈætrɪk/ is used to talk about medicine, services, etc. for old people, and it is also an informal and disapproving way of describing someone who is old and weak.

+ She specializes in geriatric medicine.

+ Who’s going to elect a geriatric president?

In informal or humorous situations you can say someone who is old is “over the hill” /ˈəʊvər ðə hɪl/.

+ I’m only forty, you know. I’m not over the hill yet!

Source: Cambridge English Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press

Real-life Examples: Having Lived for Many Years

1. Following more than 4,000 young people from age 12 to age 18, researchers found physical activity levels declined as kids got older. But those who were the most sedentary at ages 12 through 16 were the most likely to have symptoms of depression at 18. (Reuters)

2. “A lot of people were laughing at me when I was young and I said I wanted to be a professional footballer, they said it was only for boys,” Martens tells Reuters in an interview at Barcelona’s Joan Gamper training ground. (Reuters)

3. The elderly are especially vulnerable in the global pandemic and health officials and governments are increasingly calling for extreme measures to safeguard them. Across the globe, many cities have all but shut down as officials issue dire warnings for younger people – who can carry the virus without knowing it – to avoid their parents and grandparents. (Reuters)

4. Haneke, known for 2001’s “The Piano Teacher” and 1997’s “Funny Games” and its 2007 Hollywood remake, said the story was motivated by an aged aunt in poor health who asked him to help her commit suicide. (Reuters)

5. Tumbling numbers of pregnancies and marriages in Japan during the coronavirus pandemic are likely to intensify a demographic crisis in the rapidly ageing nation. (Reuters)

6. Air passengers should feel quite safe when the pilot is getting on in years, a new study shows. Older pilots actually show less decline in their aviation skills over time than their younger peers. (Reuters)

7. “Other people inadvertently may transmit the infection, and this is where the problem is. Oftentimes it is the vectoring from outside the home into the home,” said Dr. Roger Wong, a clinical professor of geriatric medicine at the University of British Columbia. (Reuters)

8. Japan’s marriage rate is falling and the average age at which women get married is over 28 years, relatively late for a country in which single females were once considered over the hill at 25. (Reuters)

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