Definition of "elderly" []

• Being past middle age and approaching old age; rather old. See Usage Note at old. (adjective)
• Of, relating to, or characteristic of older persons or life in later years. (adjective)
• An elderly person. (noun)
• Older people considered as a group. Often used with the: special recreational programs for the elderly. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "“We prefer that the word elderly not be used at all,” reports Tom Otwell at the American Association of Retired Persons."
• "Palins suggestion of DEATH PANELS regarding her son or the elderly is as childish as 1st grade antics"
• "A comment about treatment for the elderly is absolutely ridiculous."