aged

Meanings

1. 1adjectiveafter a verb

   Having a particular age, used after a noun with a number.

   Grammar: Follows a noun and comes before the number: a boy aged ten.

   Patterns

   • someone aged 12
   • children aged between X and Y

   The program is open to children aged between six and twelve.

   A man aged forty was taken to hospital.

   Most of the players are aged under twenty.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounformal

   Very old, said of a person, animal or thing; pronounced with two syllables.

   Grammar: Pronounced /ˈeɪ.dʒɪd/; used before a noun or as the aged (old people).

   Patterns

   • an aged man
   • the aged

   The aged oak had stood in the square for centuries.

   She spent every weekend visiting her aged mother.

   The town built a new home for the aged.

3. 3adjectivebefore a noun

   Left for a long time to develop flavor or quality, as with cheese, wine or meat.

   Grammar: Usually describes food or drink: aged cheese, aged whisky.

   Patterns

   • aged cheese
   • aged for years

   The restaurant serves aged beef with roasted vegetables.

   She bought a wedge of aged cheddar at the market.

   The whisky is aged for twelve years in oak barrels.

4. 4verbtransitive or intransitive

   Past tense and past participle of age: became older or showed signs of getting older.

   Grammar: Without an object: he aged quickly. With an object: stress aged him.

   Patterns

   • aged well
   • aged badly

   He aged ten years during that stressful winter.

   The film has aged well and still feels fresh.

   The long illness aged her faster than anyone expected.

Word forms

Common combinations

aged between

Children aged between five and ten can join.

aged cheese

Aged cheese has a stronger flavor than fresh cheese.

aged care

She works in aged care at a local home.

aged well

Many classic songs have aged well.

aged parents

He looks after his aged parents.

Synonyms and how they differ

elderly

Elderly is the polite word for older people, while aged can sound more formal and slightly blunt.

old

Old is the simple, everyday word, whereas aged often appears in formal writing or as a precise age.

mature

Mature suggests fully developed or ripened, while aged for food stresses long storage.

venerable

Venerable suggests respect for great age, whereas aged does not necessarily praise.

Opposites

Word family

age noun

how long someone or something has lived or existed

age verb

to grow old or make someone seem older

ageing adjective

becoming older, also spelled aging in American English

ageless adjective

not seeming to grow old

ageism noun

unfair treatment of people because of their age

Commonly confused: aged or aging?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “aged”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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