el‧der‧ly S3 W2 / eldəli $ eldərli / 形容词

1 used as a polite way of saying that someone is old or becoming old :

a well-dressed elderly woman

2 the elderly people who are old :

a retirement village for the elderly

THESAURUS

person

old having lived for a long time : an old man | I’m too old to learn a new language.

elderly a polite word for old : an elderly lady | a home for the elderly (= elderly people ) | If you are elderly, you may be eligible for financial assistance.

aging ( also ageing British English ) [仅用于名词前] becoming old : an ageing rock star | the problems of an ageing population

aged / eɪdʒəd, eɪdʒɪd / [仅用于名词前] written aged relatives are very old : aged parents | She had to look after her aged aunt.

elder brother/sister especially British English [仅用于名词前] an older brother or sister. Elder sounds more formal than older : I have two elder brothers.

ancient [名词前不常用] informal very old – used humorously : I’ll be 30 next year – it sounds really ancient!

be getting on (in years) informal to be fairly old : He’s 60 now, so he’s getting on a bit.

be over the hill ( also be past it British English ) informal to be too old to do something : Everyone thinks you’re past it when you get to 40.

geriatric [仅用于名词前] relating to medical care and treatment for old people : a geriatric hospital | geriatric patients