octogenarian

noun

oc·​to·​ge·​nar·​i·​an ˌäk-tə-jə-ˈner-ē-ən 

: a person whose age is in the eighties

The octogenarian uses a cane for walking.

octogenarian adjective

Examples of octogenarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tate, the Republican octogenarian, wasn’t the first to utter an obscenity. —Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2024

The octogenarian now has his own museum in Arles, France, and this past August a six-decade survey of his work opened at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. —Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024

Upon arriving at a nearby local hospital, doctors determined that the octogenarian had suffered a heart attack. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 21 Oct. 2024

Two days later, Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt and appeared, for the moment, an indestructible electoral force, barely challenged by the sclerotic octogenarian in the White House. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin octogenarius containing eighty, from octogeni eighty each, from octoginta eighty, from octo eight + -ginta (akin to viginti twenty) — more at vigesimal

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

octogenarian

noun

oc·​to·​ge·​nar·​i·​an ˌäk-tə-jə-ˈner-ē-ən 

: a person whose age is between 80 and 89

Medical Definition

octogenarian

noun

oc·​to·​ge·​nar·​i·​an ˌäk-tə-jə-ˈner-ē-ən 

: a person whose age is in the eighties

octogenarian adjective