ninety

noun

nine·​ty ˈnīn-tē 

plural nineties

1

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

2

nineties plural : the numbers 90 to 99

specifically : the years 90 to 99 in a lifetime or century

She's in her nineties.

ninetieth

ˈnīn-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

ninety adjective

ninety pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of ninety in a Sentence

During the nineties, he was going to college and working part-time.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hatcher’s exploits in Southeast Asia in the eighties and nineties are now held up by conservationists as case studies of cultural theft and the careless destruction of historical sites. —Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024

That simple division became much more complicated in the nineties. —Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

And in recent tumultuous times, there has been a surge in nostalgia and a return to the clean lines of the nineties—a yearning for the more stable good old days. —Laia Farran Graves, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Packed with extraordinary first-hand testimony and revelations from show insiders, the series explores how this daytime talk show became one of the biggest and most outrageous TV hits of the nineties. —Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ninety, adjective, from Old English nigontig, short for hundnigontig, from hundnigontig, noun, group of 90, from hund-, literally, hundred + nigon nine + -tig group of 10; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ninety

• ninety-nine times out of a hundred
• ninety/ninety-nine percent of the time

Kids Definition

ninety

noun

nine·​ty ˈnīnt-ē 

plural nineties

1

: a number equal to nine times 10 see number

2

plural : the numbers 90 to 99 and specifically the years 90 to 99 in a lifetime or century

ninetieth

-ē-əth 

adjective or noun

ninety adjective or pronoun