seventy

noun

sev·​en·​ty ˈse-vən-tē 

ˈse-bᵊm-,

-dē

plural seventies

1

: a number equal to seven times 10 see Table of Numbers

2

seventies plural : the numbers 70 to 79

specifically : the years 70 to 79 in a lifetime or century

3

capitalized : a Mormon elder ordained for missionary work under the apostles

seventieth

ˈse-vən-tē-əth 

ˈse-bᵊm-

-dē-

adjective or noun

seventy adjective

seventy pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of seventy in a Sentence

She is in her seventies.

Recent Examples on the Web

For context, scientists were sounding the alarm about climate change during the seventies. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

In a letter to Metcalf from the early seventies, Alice described how her relationships with men often culminated in the sense of lightness that Rose feels immediately after her beatings. —Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024

This compares to peers’ average in the mid-eighties, with some even in the high seventies. —Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 14 Dec. 2024

Laws passed in the nineteen-sixties and seventies dictated that the director was to be appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and limited to a ten-year term. —Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

seventy, adjective, from Middle English, from Old English seofontig, short for hundseofontig, from hundseofontig, noun, group of seventy, from hund hundred + seofon seven + -tig group of ten; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing seventy

• seventy-eight

Kids Definition

seventy

noun

sev·​en·​ty ˈsev-ən-tē 

plural seventies

: a number equal to seven times 10 see number

seventieth

-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

seventy adjective or pronoun