centenarian
sen-th-NAIR-ee-un
/ˌsɛn.tɪˈnɛər.i.ən/
A person who has reached the age of 100 years or more; (adjective) reaching or relating to 100 years.
Refers specifically to human beings who have completed a full century of life.
The story behind the word. Centenarian is built on the Latin root centum, meaning 'a hundred'. Late Latin coined centenarius to mean 'containing a hundred', which entered English in the 18th century as longevity records began to be kept systematically by European churches and state registries.
Word relationships
- 100-year-old: 100-year-old is a plain conversational description, while centenarian is the formal demographic noun.
- octogenarian: An octogenarian is someone in their 80s, two decades younger than a centenarian.
Commonly confused with
- centennial: Centennial refers to a 100th anniversary celebration, while centenarian refers to a person aged 100 years or older.
Word family
- supercentenarian (noun): A person who has reached the age of 110 years or more.
Collocations
- living centenarian
- centenarian population
- become a centenarian
- centenarian study
Example sentences
- "The local newspaper published a heartwarming profile of the centenarian, who celebrated her hundredth birthday with five generations of family." News report
- "Advances in healthcare have caused the global centenarian population to double over the last decade." Demographics study
Memory hook
Cent (100 cents in a dollar) + enarian = a person who made it to 100! A person reaching 100 years.
When not to use
Do not use for a 100th anniversary of an institution; use 'centennial' or 'centenary' for events, reserving 'centenarian' for people.
Fun facts
- Supercentenarians—people who reach 110 years old—are about 1,000 times rarer than regular centenarians.
Related words
Explore more words
octogenarian, longevity, lifespan, senescence, geriatric, biography
Also appears in
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