List of age-related terms with negative connotations

The following is a list of terms used in relation to age with negative connotations. Many ageist or age-negative terms are intersectional with ableism, or are derogative of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease or Dementia. Many terms may not be pejorative in certain contexts. A large number of these terms are United States slang that emerged in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the presidency of Donald Trump, owing to a noticeable and growing age gap between conservative and liberal adults of voting age; likewise, a number of age-related comments have been used against Joe Biden.^[1][2][3] Style guides such as the "Age Writing Guide" by the University of Bristol have been implemented in some institutions and academic circles to attempt to eliminate the use of ageist terms in academic writing.^[4]

Terms

A

• Adorable:^[5] Not necessarily negative, a term that, when specifically applied to an older person or a senior citizen, can be considered patronizing and mocking in nature, particularly if the term is being used to refer to mental disabilities or dependency.
• Adult diaper: A type of disposable diaper or underpants for adults who struggle with urinary or fecal incontinence or other medical issues that affect bladder and bowel control; it is recommended by groups such as AgingCare that nurses and other professional care staff not use the term "diaper" due to its connotation with infants and children; preferred terms are adult descriptors such as "briefs", "panties", or the product's brand name, for example Depends.^[6]
• Adulting: A slang term associating typical adult behaviour with difficulty and hardship, growing up and maturity whereas adults who aren't "adulting" are immature and childish.
• Alligator bait, 'gator bait: A racist slur used to describe black children and young people, comparing their worth to bait used to catch alligators; the term 'gator bait was banned from a common cheer in Florida due to its offensive meaning, and is generally no longer used except as a racial slur.^[7][8]
• Ancient: An insulting term to refer to an older person or senior citizen.

B

• Baba Yaga: A Slavic mythological figure and slang term referring to a creepy or unsightly old woman, older person who frightens or upsets children.
• Baby: Term often used to tease others for being childish or too young, or for behaving in an immature way.
• Bag lady: A homeless old woman or a vagrant.
• Barely legal: A term often used to market pornography as featuring young people who are "barely legal" (only just reached legal age of majority or the age of consent, or both when they coincide, depending on the context). The term is considered to fetishizes young people sexually.^[9]
• Bed blocker:^[10] A derogatory term in Irish slang used to describe older people taking up all the available hospital beds in the healthcare system.
• Beldame: An outdated term referring to an old woman, especially an ugly one.
• Biddy:^[11] An annoying, gossipy or interfering old lady.
• Blue-hairs:^[12] Derogatory term referring to old women who dye their hair a distinctive silvery-blue colour; suburban older women.
• Boomer: A postwar era-born person from the "Baby Boom", or a "baby boomer"; this term can also be used in a neutral context sometimes.
• Boomer Remover: A slang term used by politically left-leaning young people on social media to describe the COVID-19 pandemic; the term drew criticism for trivializing and mocking the high death rates of aging people due to the pandemic.^[13]
• Boomerang kid: A term for an adult who ceases to live independently from their parents and moves back home, typically derogatory.(see "failure to launch" below)
• Brat: A term used to describe a badly-behaved or spoiled child.
• Burden: A term (also ableist) of contempt or disdain used to describe old and infirm or disabled people who either don't contribute to society or who contribute in a limited way; this lack of contribution may be imposed or facilitated by social stigma and other factors.

C

• Christmas cake: A Japanese term referring to a woman who is unmarried past the age of 25, likening them to a Christmas cake that is unsold after the 25th (of December) and no longer desirable.
• Codger:^[14] An old-fashioned or eccentric old man.
• Coot:^[15] A crazy and foolish old man; senile man.
• Cougar:^[16][17] A western slang term referring to older women who have romantic or sexual relations with younger men, although the term can also have a positive connotation depending on the situation or circumstance.
• Crone:^[18] An ugly or witch-like old woman.
• Curmudgeon:^[19] An ill-tempered, grumpy or surly old man (although the term is most often applied to old men, it can be used more broadly: for example, in the 2008 film Marley & Me, John Grogan, a forty-year-old man, is called a curmudgeon for complaining about the prevalence of aesthetically ugly high-rise condos popping up in his city).

D

• Demented: An older person suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease, but used also as an insult against people who don't have either of these conditions.
• Dinosaur:^[20][21] Slang term used to describe an out-of-touch older person, a clueless person or an ignorant and bigoted old man.
• Dirty old man:^[22][23][24] An old pervert, specifically referring to older men who make sexual advances or remarks, or who often engage in sex-related activities and subject matter. The term is suggestive of the belief that is inappropriate and unnatural for older men to be still sexually active and that young people would never find an older man attractive. The term, other than ageist, features misandrist connotations in the West if applied to older men who are attracted to much younger adult women above the legal/adult age to consent to a sexual relationship.
• Dotard: A weak older person with limited mental faculties, or a mentally disabled older person.
• Dried up:^[25] Slang for a sexually-inactive older person, often used to refer to older women or impotent men.

E

• Eat All The Old People: A phrase popularized by the song of the same name by the music group No Time of "Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes No. 7"; the song, intended as satire, mocks deafness in older people, and features lyrics depicting a fictional political campaign endorsing the killing and eating of senior citizens so that society will have more resources; the song features the chorus "We gotta eat all the old people (Show em that you love em), We gotta eat all the old people (Shove em in the oven), We gotta eat all the old people (Stick em in the freezer), We gotta eat all the old people (We're gonna garnish up a geezer)!".^[26]
• Empty nesters:^[27] Older people with children who have moved out of the family residence; people downsizing.

F

• Failure to launch: A term referring to a young adult who has not yet met the societal standards of their culture for being a typical adult, such as going to university, moving to their own residence or getting a job.
• Fogey: An old man who has old-fashioned or conservative interests and tastes.
• Fuddy-duddy:^[28] A silly or foolish old man.

G

• Geezer: A significantly aged old man. In the UK, it is a slang term used most often to refer simply to a "man" or "guy".
• Geriatric: Offensive slang (when used in a non-medical context only).^[29]
• Gerry: (Not to be confused with the pejorative ethnic term towards German people; "gerry" in this context is short for "geriatric").^[30]
• Gigolo: A young man or boy who earns money or favours (such as a free room) from a romantic or sexual relationship with an older woman; a young male escort; this is a legitimate descriptive term, but can also be used as an insult towards any younger man who gets money or affection from older women or multiple women.(see "gold-digger" below)
• GILF, or, "Grandparent I'd Like to Fuck":^[31] A fetishistic acronym referring to sexually-attractive older senior women.
• Gold-digger: A younger person, typically a woman, who seduces and then gets money, affection and possessions from an older person; the term can also have criminal implications and it is very often used without any actual basis or evidence other than basing merely on the age of the younger side.
• Golden ager: A term used to describe older people, especially those retired or close to old age.^[32]
• Golden Girls:^[33] A group of older women who are friends; originates from the term "golden years", and from the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls.
• Guang Gun: A derogatory Chinese slang term loosely translating to "bare branches" or "bare sticks", used to describe unmarried men who have no legitimate children and therefore don't carry on the family tree or family name; the male equivalent of "spinster" or "Sheng nu".

H

• Hag: A bitter, mean and physically ugly older woman.(see "witch" below)
• Harold and Maude: A couple consisting of two partners between whom exists a large age gap; slang term originates from the 1971 comedy feature film Harold and Maude.^[34]
• Harridan: A slang term for an old woman who is vicious, scolding and cruel.
• Has-been:^[35] An older person out-of-touch with modern trends, or outmoded and no longer wanted/needed by their place of employment or society. It is used also towards a living "washed-up" or no longer relevant or influential personality, like a celebrity or former celebrity.
• Having a "senior moment":^[36] A temporary mental lapse jokingly attributed to senility or old age.
• Hipster: A term (often pejorative) referring to young people who are pretentious and heavily focused on keeping up with certain high-end fashion and lifestyle choices.

J

• Jailbait:^[37][38] A term in pedophile slang used to identify a young girl or boy who is under the age of consent as a sexual object; used as a descriptor or a warning among sex offenders and pedophiles to identify a potential victim or attractive victim.

K

• Kidult: An adult with an interest in childish things and things from childhood that they are nostalgic for; for example, a grown man with no children who plays with My Little Pony figurines or sleeps with plush toys. The term is used positively or neutrally in the animation for kid-looking adult characters like Mickey Mouse, SpongeBob, Chip & Dale and Cuphead & Mugman (in both their 1930s cartoon-style video game and the animated series based on it)

L

• Little old lady: A harmless and helpless older woman; innocent and pitiful older woman. (see "adorable" above)
• Lolita: A term for a sexually-mature or promiscuous minor child, typically a girl; the term has pedophilic connotations and is generally considered inappropriate and creepy, used to fetishize or exploit vulnerable usually preteen girls. "Lolita" is a term of endearment from the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
• Luddite: An older person who resists new technology, especially digital technology; this term may be misused to refer to people with anti-establishment views (for example somebody who boycotts Amazon or refuses to own a mobile phone), whereas when applied to older people, the term takes on a more pejorative context describing an irrational fear or disdain towards new things caused by age alone, such as a fear of artificial intelligence taking jobs away.^[39][40][41] The term in any such case is a misuse of the term "luddite" in reference to a very specific subgroup of textiles workers with certain religious and philosophical beliefs about social order and new advancements in human culture.

M

• Maggot(s) in the rice: a derogatory term in contemporary Chinese culture referring to baby girls; the term is typically associated with China's authoritarian "One Child Policy", which limited birth of children per family and also favoured male children. China's government has since implemented efforts to change this cultural phenomenon.^[42][43]
• Malingerer: An older person who lingers or routinely goes to hospitals and walk-in clinics with ailments, either real or imagined; the term has negative connotations of attention-seeking and mooching off the system.
• Mama-san: A term (often considered pejorative, outdated) referring to an older woman from East Asia in an authority position.
• Mammy: A term and social image, generally also perceived as racist, of a kindly old black woman who raises the children of the family employing her or keeping her in slavery; the elderly Mammy is often bizarrely placid, maternal, unquestioning and wise yet subservient.
• Man-child or Man-baby: A grown adult man who lives like a child or teenager typically would.(see also "basement-dweller")
• MILF:^[44] An acronym slang term meaning "mother I'd like to fuck"; considered sexist and ageist by some and positive or neutral by others.
• Minor : Term used in law to indicate someone under the age of majority, seen as ageist by some because the word "minor" also means "less-than".
• Mrs. Robinson:^[45][46][47] Originating from the song "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel; slang term referring to an older woman pursuing someone younger than herself, typically an adolescent male.(see "cougar" above)

N

• Nuisance: A derogatory term towards older people.(see "burden" above)

O

• Okay, boomer:^[48][49][50] Pejorative term and internet meme that is used to retort opinions that are associated with the Baby boomer generation — some consider the term ageist.
• Old bag / Old hag: An older, unappealing or ugly and lower-class woman.
• Old bat: A neurotic or senile older woman.
• Old bitch: A rude term for an older woman.
• Old cow: A rude term for an older woman, especially one who is overweight or obese and homely.
• Old fart:^[51] A boring and old-fashioned silly person.
• Old folks' home:^[52] A slang term, often considered insulting, for an assisted care facility or residence for older people.
• Old maid: An older unmarried lady; a widow.(see "spinster" below)
• Olderly: Newfoundland slang term for "elderly"; can be offensive or neutral depending on the context.^[53]
• Oldster:^[54] An offensive term that gained strong pejorative status during the COVID-19 pandemic; used to describe senior citizens affected by the pandemic.
• Old white man:^[55][56][57] Both an ageist and racist term with also misandrist connotations^[58] used to imply white elderly males are generally racist and use racial slurs more than younger people.^[59][60]
• Out to pasture: Euphemism for retirement, likening retirement to putting a working livestock animal, such as an old horse or a cow, out to pasture for grazing.
• Over the hills:^[61] Age-related metaphor comparing aging through life to going over a hill; the term can be used jokingly and with good intent, and offence depends on the context in which it is used.

P

• Pensioner:^[62] An older person living on an old-age pension; used as an insult to refer to aging people draining the welfare system.
• Peter Pan: A term describing a grown adult, typically a man, who behaves like a child or teenager and refuses, either actively or passively, to not act their true age. It is also used as a positive way, even as a compliment, depending on the context and circumstance.(see "kidult" and "man-child" above)
• Pops: A condescending (depending on context) term for an older, out-of-touch man.
• Prostitot: A derogatory term for a minor who dresses provocatively in a trashy manner; portmanteau of "prostitute" and "toddler".
• Prune: The term "prune", or comparing older people to prunes in general, is a common insult and often an intended joke; for example, in the Goosebumps episode "An Old Story", two teenage boys are given prune cookies that cause the boys to physically age into old men, after which their elderly aunt attempts to sell the boys to two little old ladies who want to marry them.^[63][64] (see "Wrinkled old prune" below)
• Psycho-biddy: An exploitation film genre featuring films about older women; the name of the genre is used in humour and is not generally intended to be offensive or derogatory.
• Punk: A misbehaved young person, not to be confused with punk subculture.

S

• Second childhood:^[65] A term describing adults whose declining mental capabilities mean that they need care similar to that of young children, for example adults who are older and need help with tasks such as bathing, shopping, using the toilet and reading books.
• Senile: Senility; broad term (with some legitimate medical usage) referring to older people with declining mental capabilities. The term is used also against people with still good mental capabilities basing merely on their age.
• Sheng nu: A derogatory Chinese slang term loosely translating to "leftover women", used to describe unmarried older women.(see "Spinster" below)
• Silver fox: A sexually-attractive or promiscuous older person, typically a woman.(see "cougar" above)
• Silver surfer:^[66] An older person who knows how to expertly use digital technology; "silver" refers to hair colour.
• Silver Wings Travel Club:^[67] An offensive euphemism for senior citizens travelling on a commercial airline flight.
• Sleepy Joe: A term that has been used by Donald Trump, among other figures, to mock President Joe Biden because of moments of lack of attention and drowsiness; implying that he is senile or delicate due to his age. While it may not necessarily be an ageist term per se and used just in politics mainly to describe an approach of a politician to the public and during speeches to make him lose credibility and trust among voters and potential voters, various critics have called this term into question for its potential ageist implications among both older and younger people.^[68][69][70]
• Spinster: A single woman who, in her own culture, is unmarried beyond the age at which most people get married.

W

• Whippersnapper: A young person who thinks they know more than they do, typically a teenager or young adult; a smartass.
• Witch: An older woman who is cranky, physically unattractive and bitter, who resembles a witch.(see "hag" above)
• Wrinkle room:^[71] A term referring in gay culture to bars where old men congregate.
• Wrinkled old prune: A derogatory term referring to old people by way of their wrinkled skin and consumption of fiber, comparing them to dehydrated prunes.^[72]

Y

• Young fogey: A British slang term referring to conservatively dressed, young preppy men.
• Yuppie: An urban professional, typically of the 1980s era, a sellout; developed a pejorative connotation from the association with consumerism, gentrification and indifference towards sociopolitical issues.
• Yuppie flu: A pejorative term for chronic fatigue syndrome, originating in the 1980s as a stereotype of people with CFS as frustrated and spoiled young yuppies.^[73]

Z

• Zoomer:^[74] A blend word of "Generation Z" and "boomer"; refers to people born in the late 1990s or early 2000. Like "boomer", the term can also be used neutrally.

See also

• Ableism
• Age discrimination in the United States
• Age segregation
• Ageism
• Double standard of aging
• Elder abuse
• List of disability-related terms with negative connotations

Further reading

• University of Bristol Style Guide to Inclusive writing – Age

References