nineteenth

nineteenth — ordinal number

1. the written or spoken form of the number 19th in a series, used when stating the

1.ordinal numberA1
Definition

the written or spoken form of the number 19th in a series, used when stating the position of something or someone after the eighteenth item.

Example

The nineteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote.

ordinal number used for constitutional amendments

Nellie celebrated her nineteenth birthday with a small dinner party at her apartment.

ordinal used for birthdays

Common collocations
  • nineteenth century
  • nineteenth birthday
  • nineteenth of [month]
  • nineteenth amendment

Usage Note

In formal writing (essays, invitations, legal documents), spell out 'nineteenth' rather than using the numeral '19th'. The shortened form '19th' is common in informal notes, dates on invitations, addresses, and online communication. This rule applies to all ordinal numbers.

Common Mistakes

She arrived on the nineteen of June.
She arrived on the nineteenth of June.
'nineteen' is a cardinal number (quantity); 'nineteenth' is the ordinal form (position in a sequence).

nineteenth — noun

nineteenth — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: ordinal number/1

While 'nineteenth' (the ordinal) and 'nineteen' (the cardinal) both refer to the number 19, their functions are entirely different: 'nineteen' counts quantity ('nineteen books'), while 'nineteenth' indicates position in a sequence ('the nineteenth book'). The abbreviated '19th' is interchangeable in meaning but differs in register — use '19th' in informal writing, notes, and addresses, but spell out 'nineteenth' in formal contexts. Compared to neighbouring ordinals, 'eighteenth' and 'twentieth' follow the same rule: all are formed from the cardinal plus '-th' (with minor spelling changes). For example, if a student finishes eighteenth in one race and twentieth in another, you would say 'She improved from twentieth to eighteenth' — never 'from 20th to 18th' in a formal report.

nineteen ↗19theighteenth ↗twentieth ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the nineteenth of [month]
  • in the nineteenth century
  • on the nineteenth floor

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Nineteenth comes from Old English 'nigontēoða', a combination of 'nigon' (nine) and 'tēoða' (tenth). In Middle English it appeared as 'nyntenthe' and 'nyntethe', with the modern spelling settling in the 1500s as English underwent the Great Vowel Shift and spelling standardization.