middle-aged

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Between about 40 and 60 years old, or typical of people of that age.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb like be or seem.

   Patterns

   • a middle-aged man
   • a middle-aged woman
   • be middle-aged

   A middle-aged couple sat at the next table.

   He became a father for the first time when he was middle-aged.

   The magazine is aimed at middle-aged readers.

2. 2adjectivenot comparabledisapproving

   Having qualities or interests thought to be typical of people in their 40s and 50s, such as being settled or conventional.

   Grammar: Often used slightly disapprovingly to suggest someone is boring or old-fashioned.

   Patterns

   • middle-aged attitudes
   • middle-aged spread
   • seem middle-aged

   His taste in music is a bit middle-aged.

   She complained about her middle-aged spread.

   They joked that their weekends had become very middle-aged.

Common combinations

middle-aged man

A middle-aged man was reading the newspaper.

middle-aged spread

He blamed his middle-aged spread on desk work.

middle-aged couple

The middle-aged couple walked along the beach.

middle-aged and older

The study focused on middle-aged and older adults.

Synonyms and how they differ

mature

Mature is a polite, positive word for someone fully grown; middle-aged simply states the age range and can sound neutral or slightly negative.

elderly

Elderly means old, usually over 65; middle-aged is younger, roughly 40 to 60.

Opposites

Word family

middle age noun

The period of life between about 40 and 60.

Commonly confused: middle-aged or middle age?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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