older

[ ohl-der ]
/ ˈoʊl dər /

adjective

a comparative of old.

synonym study for older

Older, elder imply having greater age than something or someone else. Older is the usual form of the comparative of old: This building is older than that one. Elder, now greatly restricted in application, is used chiefly to indicate seniority in age as between any two people but especially priority of birth as between children born of the same parents: The elder brother became king.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH older

elder older (see synonym study at the current entry)

Definition for older (2 of 2)

old
[ ohld ]
/ oʊld /

adjective, old·er, old·est or eld·er, eld·est.

noun

Origin of old

before 900; Middle English; Old English eald, ald; cognate with Dutch old, German alt, Gothic altheis; akin to Old Norse ala to nourish

SYNONYMS FOR old

1 Old, aged, elderly all mean well along in years. An old person has lived long, nearly to the end of the usual period of life. An aged person is very far advanced in years, and is usually afflicted with the infirmities of age. An elderly person is somewhat old, but usually has the mellowness, satisfactions, and joys of age ahead.
9 olden, early.

OTHER WORDS FROM old

old·ness, noun

Example sentences from the Web for older

British Dictionary definitions for older (1 of 2)

older
/ (ˈəʊldə) /

adjective

the comparative of old
having lived or existed longer; of greater age Also (of people, esp members of the same family): elder

British Dictionary definitions for older (2 of 2)

old
/ (əʊld) /

adjective

noun

an earlier or past time (esp in the phrase of old) in days of old

Derived forms of old

oldish, adjective oldness, noun

Word Origin for old

Old English eald; related to Old Saxon ald, Old High German, German alt, Latin altus high

usage for old

Many people nowadays prefer to talk about older people rather than old people, and the phrase the old is best avoided altogether

Idioms and Phrases with older

old