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)Words nearby older
oldcastle,
olde-worlde,
olden,
oldenbarneveldt,
oldenburg,
older,
oldest,
oldfangled,
oldfield,
oldham,
oldie
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, nounExample 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, nounWord 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