# twentieth

/ˈtwɛniəθ/ (US) · /twˈɛntiəθ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/twentieth
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. position in a series

numeral · CEFR A2

coming after the nineteenth and before the twenty-first.

For teachers: the ordinal form of the number twenty, indicating a position in a sequence.

- She celebrated her twentieth birthday with a small party for her friends.
- The twentieth century saw more rapid technological advancement than any previous era in human history.

### 2. a fractional part

noun · CEFR B1

one of twenty equal parts of a whole.

For teachers: one of twenty equal parts into which a whole is or may be divided.

- A twentieth of the budget was spent on office supplies.
- The researcher noted that only a twentieth of the participants reported experiencing any significant side effects during the initial trial phase.

## Examples

- I only ate a twentieth of the cake.
- The athlete finished in twentieth place, which was still a great achievement in such a large race.
- By the time the twentieth person had entered the small room, the air had become noticeably warm and the noise level was almost deafening.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.