What does "age" mean?

1. (years lived) the number of years that someone has lived or something has existed. 2. (historical period) a particular period of history. 3. (being old) the state of being old, or the later part of a person's life. 4. (a long time) a very long period of time. 5. (legal maturity) the time when you are legally old enough to do something, like vote. 6. (to get older) to grow older or to start looking older. 7. (to make look old) to make someone or something look older than they really are.

age — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "He is 25 years of age."?

No — say "He is 25 years old.". While 'years of age' is correct, it is very formal. In everyday English, use 'years old' or just the number.

Word

01years lived

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. the number of years that someone has lived or something has existed.

n. the length of time during which a person or thing has existed, typically measured in years.

“She started learning to play the piano at the age of five.”

“The study tracked participants from various backgrounds, all of whom were over eighteen years of age at the time of enrollment.”

Pitfall

He is 25 years of age.

He is 25 years old.

While 'years of age' is correct, it is very formal. In everyday English, use 'years old' or just the number.

Synonyms

years lifetime

02historical period

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a particular period of history.

n. a distinct period of history characterized by a particular feature, person, or set of events.

“We are currently living in the digital age where everything is connected.”

“Historians often debate the precise events that signaled the end of the Bronze Age and the transition to the Iron Age.”

Synonyms

era epoch period

03being old

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. the state of being old, or the later part of a person's life.

n. the state of being old; the final stage of the human life cycle.

“His grandmother is still very active despite her great age.”

“The philosopher argued that wisdom is not a guaranteed byproduct of age, but rather the result of lifelong reflection.”

Synonyms

elderlinessseniority

Antonyms

youth

04a long time

B1 · Intermediate Plural noun Informal

n. a very long period of time.

n. an indefinitely long period of time; often used in the plural for emphasis.

“I haven't seen my cousins in ages because they live abroad.”

“It felt like an age before the waiter finally returned to our table with the bill.”

Synonyms

eternity years

Antonyms

moment second

05legal maturity

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Law Formal

n. the time when you are legally old enough to do something, like vote.

n. the stage of life at which a person becomes legally responsible for their actions or gains specific rights.

“In many countries, eighteen is the legal age for voting.”

“The defendant had not yet come of age when the contract was signed, rendering the agreement legally void in this jurisdiction.”

Synonyms

majority maturity

Antonyms

minority

06to get older

B1 · Intermediate

v. to grow older or to start looking older.

v. to grow old or show the effects of increasing age; to undergo a process of maturation.

“The wine needs to age in the cellar for at least three years.”

“The stress of the presidency appeared to age him significantly over the course of his first term.”

Synonyms

mature decline

07to make look old

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to make someone or something look older than they really are.

v. to cause to appear old or to impart the characteristics of age to something.

“The makeup artists used special paint to age the actors for the final scene.”

“The craftsman used a specific chemical treatment to age the new wood so it would match the original beams of the original floorboards.”

Synonyms

weather

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “age” in context.

01. mean age

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu Proto-Italic *aiwom Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Proto-Italic *aiwotāts Vulgar Latin aetās Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Vulgar Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Italic *-kos Vulgar Latin -cus Vulgar Latin -icus Vulgar Latin -āticus Vulgar Latin -āticum Vulgar Latin *aetāticum Old French eagebor. Middle English age English age From Middle English age, Old French aage, eage, edage, from an assumed Vulgar Latin aetāticum, derived from Latin aetātem, itself derived from aevum (“lifetime”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu- (“vital force”). Compare French âge. Displaced native Old English ieldu. The verb is from Middle English agen, from the noun. Originally found mostly as a participial adjective, probably an adjective in -ed, derived from the noun, reanalyzed to create a verb; perhaps modeled on such pairs as Latin senēscō (seneō; verb) / senex (adjective) and Middle French vieillir (verb) / vieil (adjective). Also compare Old French se aagier, eogier (“become of age”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

age(A1)

ADJECTIVE

aging Decay of age Time wither