ninety

noun

nine·​ty ˈnīn-tē How to pronounce ninety (audio)
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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See all Example Sentences for ninety 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ninety was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ninety

Cite this Entry

“Ninety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ninety. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ninety

noun
nine·​ty ˈnīnt-ē How to pronounce ninety (audio)
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 adjective or noun
ninety adjective or pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on ninety

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