the elder

noun

1

—used in comparing the ages of two people who are members of the same family

He's the elder of her two brothers.

2

—used to refer to the older of two people (such as a father and son) who have the same name

Pliny the Elder and his nephew Pliny the Younger

Examples of the elder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The chief of the Neapolitans, or the elder, or the one who was sick and tired of the noise, or just the single most reckless member of the boarding party, ran out of patience and simply cut the captain’s head off, at a single, sharp blow. —Hazlitt, 26 Nov. 2024

Ray is the elder of two children Nicholson shares with his former partner, Rebecca Broussard. —Christina Dugan Ramirez, Fox News, 3 Jan. 2025

Severus invested his two sons with imperial authority during his lifetime, naming the elder, Caracalla, co-emperor in 198 but leaving the younger, Geta, to wait for the title until 209. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024

John, the elder, lit out for the West in 1857, wound up in Illinois, joined the Union Army for the duration and beyond, and came to Sawtelle in 1900. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024