aging

aging — adjective

1. becoming older, often with the loss of strength, freshness, or efficiency that c

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

becoming older, often with the loss of strength, freshness, or efficiency that comes with extra years; describes people, groups, bodies, or things such as machines and buildings whose useful life is running down.

Example

Japan's aging population has put new pressure on the country's hospitals and care homes.

fixed collocation: aging population

Pia rubbed his aging knees after the long hike up Mount Mitake.

modifies a body part of a named person

Common collocations
  • aging population
  • aging workforce
  • aging body
  • aging parents
  • aging equipment
  • aging infrastructure
  • rapidly aging
Synonyms
  • elderly

    only for people; politer than 'old', not used for objects

  • older

    neutral comparative; less suggestive of decline than 'aging'

  • deteriorating

    stronger; emphasizes that the thing is getting worse, not just older

Antonyms
  • young

    for people

  • new

    for equipment or systems

Grammar Patterns

aging + noun

Usage Note

Almost always used before the noun (attributive). 'Aging' is the American spelling; British English usually writes 'ageing'. Common subjects fall into three groups: people and bodies, populations and workforces, and equipment or infrastructure.

Common Mistakes

My grandmother is aging.' (sounds odd as a stand-alone description).
My aging grandmother needs more rest.
'aging' usually goes before a noun, not after 'be'.
The ageing equipment.' (in a US-English text).
The aging equipment.
match the spelling to the variety of English you are writing in.

aging — noun

Word family

  • age
    nounA1
  • age
    verbB1
  • aged
    adjectiveB1
  • ageless
    adjectiveC1
  • ageism
    nounC1
  • ageing
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words point to advanced age, but they differ in tone and what they can describe. 'Old' is the plain, all-purpose word; it works for people and things but can sound blunt when used about a person ('she is old'). 'Elderly' softens the picture and is used only for people, often in polite or official writing ('elderly residents'). 'Older' is a gentle comparative — it suggests 'more years than someone else' without strongly implying decline. 'Aging' is dynamic: it describes someone or something in the middle of growing older, often with a hint that strength, looks, or usefulness is fading. Compare: 'an old factory' (just not new), 'an aging factory' (clearly running down), 'an elderly worker' (polite, formal), 'an older worker' (neutral comparison).

aging ↗elderly ↗old ↗older

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • the aging process
  • signs of aging
  • anti-aging cream
  • healthy aging
  • aging gracefully

Prepositions

  • of (the aging of society)
  • with (cope with aging)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Built from the verb 'age' plus the '-ing' suffix used to form gerunds and participles. The verb 'age' came into English from Old French 'aagier', which traced back to Latin 'aetas' meaning 'a period of life'. 'Aging' is the modern American spelling; British writers usually keep the older spelling 'ageing', which preserves the silent 'e' of the base verb. Both spellings appear in the 17th-century record, and the choice today is a regional one rather than a difference in meaning.