elderly

elder +‎ -ly

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɛldɚli/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɛldəli/

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• Hyphenation: eld‧er‧ly

elderly (comparative more elderly, superlative most elderly)

1. old; having lived for relatively many years.

   Synonyms: elder, old; see also Thesaurus:elderly

2. Of an object, being old-fashioned or frail due to aging.

   Synonyms: dated, outworn, decrepit, timeworn; see also Thesaurus:obsolete, Thesaurus:deteriorated

   • 1988, Anne Tyler, chapter 1, in Breathing Lessons:

     The car was parked toward the rear of the shop, an elderly gray-blue Dodge. It looked better than it had in years.

elderly (plural elderlies)

1. An elderly person.
2. (with definite article, collective) Older people as a whole.

• elderly care