elder
adjective /ˈeldə(r)/
/ˈeldər/
- [only before noun] (of people, especially two members of the same family) older
- my elder brother
- his elder sister
- the elderused without a noun immediately after it to show who is the older of two people
- the elder of their two sons
- the elder(formal) used before or after somebody’s name to show that they are the older of two people who have the same name
- the elder Pitt
- Pitt the elder
Synonyms oldoldcompare the younger- elderly
- aged
- long-lived
- mature
- old having lived for a long time; no longer young:
- She’s getting old—she’s 75 next year.
- elderly (rather formal) used as a polite word for ‘old’:
- She is very busy caring for two elderly relatives.
- aged (formal) very old:
- Having aged relatives to stay in your house can be quite stressful.
- long-lived having a long life; lasting for a long time:
- Everyone in my family is exceptionally long-lived.
- mature used as a polite or humorous way of saying that somebody is no longer young:
- clothes for the mature woman
- a(n) old/elderly/aged/long-lived/mature man/woman
- a(n) old/elderly/aged/mature gentleman/lady/couple
Word Originadjective Old English ieldra, eldra, of Germanic origin; related to German älter, also to old.