sexagenarian

A sexagenarian is someone in their 60s (60 to 69 years old), or someone who is 60 years old.

Sexagenarian can also be used as an adjective to describe someone in their 60s, as in Our audience is mostly made up of sexagenarian women, or things related to such a person, as in I have entered my sexagenarian years. 

It’s one of several similar terms used to refer to a person of a certain age, including quadragenarian (40s), quinquagenarian (50s), septuagenarian (70s), octogenarian (80s), and nonagenarian (90s).

Such words are more commonly used as people get older: sexagenarian is more common than quadragenarian and quinquagenarian, which are rarely used. Septuagenarian and octogenarian are even more commonly used.

Another word for sexagenarian is sexegenary.

Example: Today is my last day as a sexagenarian—tomorrow I begin my 70s!

The word sexagenarian comes from the Latin word sexāgēnārius, from sexāgēnī, meaning “sixty each,” from sexāgintā, “sixty.” The suffix -an is used to indicate a person (as seen in common words like pedestrian and historian).

It’s more common to refer to someone as a 60-year-old or describe them as in their 60s or 60-something than to call them a sexagenarian. But sexagenarian is used as a fancy or fun way of referring to someone of that age, including by sexagenarians who apply it to themselves. As much fun as it is to say, it’s perhaps more often used in writing. It’s especially used in the context of highlighting a person who’s doing something that may be surprising for their age, as in My sexagenarian yoga instructor is way more flexible than I am.

What are some synonyms for sexagenarian?

• sexagenary
• 60-year-old
• sixty-year-old
• 60-something
• sixty-something

What are some words that share a root or word element with sexagenarian? 

• Sexagesima
• sexagesimal
• quadragenarian
• quinquagenarian
• septuagenarian
• octogenarian
• nonagenarian
• centenarian

What are some words that often get used in discussing sexagenarian?

• sixty
• age
• year
• old
• decade
• life
• birthday
• milestone

Sexagenarian is often used to be fancy or funny when referring to 60-somethings.

The journey of 20 years from sexagenarian to octogenarian 😌😍 pic.twitter.com/vPP9w3TsXY

— Dadi Chandro Tomar (@realshooterdadi) December 10, 2019

Just found out I’m a “sexagenarian”. Sounds great doesn’t it? Much better than “in your sixties”. 😎

— William Sadler (@Wm_Sadler) November 19, 2019

NEW POD – sprightly sexagenarian @simonmayo and @KermodeMovie (still a slip of a quinquagenarian) with Cate Blanchett and @jackblack (mere quadragenarians), @housewithaclock, @TLS_film, @ASimpleFavor and more. DOWNLOAD and SUBSCRIBE: https://t.co/zDeHSXKxNW

— Kermode and Mayo's Film Review (@wittertainment) September 21, 2018

Is sexagenarian used correctly in the following sentence?

Most of my fondest memories have come from my sexagenarian years.