middle age

noun

Synonyms of middle agenext
: the period of life from about 45 to about 64
middle-aged
ˌmi-dᵊl-ˈājd How to pronounce middle age (audio)
adjective
middle-ager
ˌmi-dᵊl-ˈā-jər How to pronounce middle age (audio)
noun

Examples of middle age in a Sentence

as our generation approaches middle age The patient was in late middle age. He feared the approach of middle age.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
People tend to think of middle age as a time when life is set—your job, your relationships, everything is pretty stable. — Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Natural changes in sleep cycles, stress, and medication side effects are among the reasons sleep can get worse in middle age. — Mark Gurarie, Health, 20 June 2026 Half of millennials and a third of Gen Xers still tap the Bank of Mom and Dad ‒ even in middle age and beyond. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 15 June 2026 But more recently, as ideas about what middle age looks like have shifted, along with the changing demographics of viewers, these films have largely disappeared. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for middle age

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of middle age was in the 14th century

Rhymes for middle age

See All Rhymes for middle age

Browse Nearby Words

middle
middle age
middle-aged
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Middle age.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle%20age. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

middle age

noun
: the period of life from about 45 to about 64
middle-aged
ˌmid-ᵊl-ˈājd
adjective

Medical Definition

middle age

noun
mid·​dle age ˌmid-ᵊl-ˈāj How to pronounce middle age (audio)
: the period of life from about 45 to about 64 years of age
middle-aged
ˌmid-ᵊl-ˈājd How to pronounce middle age (audio)
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on middle age

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for middle age

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about middle age

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All