ENGLISH
REFERENCE

nineties

n. plural-only
A2 Elementary US //ˈnaɪntiz// UK //nˈaɪntɪz// nineties

n. the years between 1990 and 1999, or the years in a century when someone is between 90 and 99 years old.

n. the decade spanning the years 90 through 99 of a specific century, or the period of a person's life between the ages of 90 and 99.


SIMPLE

Grunge music became very popular during the nineties.

CONTEXTUAL

Many people who grew up in the nineties feel a strong sense of nostalgia for early internet culture.

COMPLEX

The economic boom of the nineties was characterized by rapid technological advancement and the emergence of the World Wide Web as a mainstream tool.

Synonyms
Usage

Always used in the plural form; takes a plural verb. When referring to the decade, it is typically preceded by 'the'.

Pitfall

in the 90'sin the '90sThe apostrophe replaces the missing digits (19), so it should be placed before the numbers, not before the 's'.

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