Meanings
alternative Eighties · alternative 'eighties
- pluralplural onlyThe decade of the 1880s, 1980s, etc.
Only kids born in the eighties remember this song!
2 more examples
Our readers — and contributors — are apt to elect a good deal according to years. The seventies and eighties, we may suppose, are concerned for the large educational and cultural interests of their Alma Mater; the nineties are deep in the practical and business activities; the noughties are not naughty, but still young enough to sport a fantastic costume at reunion and let the college wag as it will; the oneties are the really wise as to what the college ought to be, especially on its athletic side, but as contributors modest.
1914, Amherst College, Amherst graduates' quarterly, volume 4, page 61919, Harry Hamilton Johnston, The Gay-Dombeys: A Novel, Macmillan, page 172, He and his clever staff of minor blackguards exploited to the full every weakness and caries in the London Society of the 'eighties, 'nineties, and 'oughts.
- pluralplural onlyThe decade of one's life from age 80 through age 89.
Only folks in their eighties remember this song!
- pluralplural onlyratestemperatureThe range between 80 and 89.
No wonder I'm sweating, it's in the eighties!
alternative Eighties · alternative 'eighties
- not comparableFrom or evoking the 81st through 90th years of a century (chiefly the 1980s).
Sue picked a playlist of eighties music for the dinner to remind her wife of that night they met all those years ago.
2 more examples
These publications can, however, be linked to a very eighties trend initiated among African American women writers like Toni Morrison and Alice Walker whose most distinguished novels deal with previously untold stories set deep in America's imperialist, slave-owning past.
1995, Anthony Ilona, “Crossing the River: A chronicle of the black Diaspora”, in Wasafiri, volume 11, number 22, →DOI, pages 3–9Next to her, a woman with puffy sleeves, bright bubblegum makeup, and big eighties hair spoke melodiously into a microphone.
2020, Chana Porter, The Seep, New York, NY: Soho Press, →ISBN, page 169
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Catalan anys vuitanta, anys 80
- anys vuitantathe decade of the 1980s
- anys 80the decade of the 1980s
- dècada de 1980the decade of the 1980s
- dècada del 1980the decade of the 1980s
Chinese Mandarin 八十年代, 80年代
- 八十年代 (bāshí niándài)the decade of the 1980s
- 80年代 (bāshí niándài)the decade of the 1980s
Dutch jaren tachtig, jaren 80
- jaren tachtigthe decade of the 1980s
- jaren 80the decade of the 1980s
- jaren 1980the decade of the 1980s
Finnish kahdeksankymmentäluku, 80-luku
- kahdeksankymmentälukuthe decade of the 1980s
- 80-lukuthe decade of the 1980s
- 1980-lukuthe decade of the 1980s
French années quatre-vingt, années 80
- années quatre-vingtthe decade of the 1980s
- années 80the decade of the 1980s
German achtziger Jahre, Achtzigerjahre
- achtziger Jahrethe decade of the 1980s
- Achtzigerjahrethe decade of the 1980s
- Achtzigerthe decade of the 1980s
- neunzehnhundertachtziger Jahrethe decade of the 1980s
- 1980erthe decade of the 1980s
Hungarian nyolcvanas évek
- nyolcvanas évekthe decade of the 1980s
Indonesian tahun delapan puluhan
- tahun delapan puluhanthe decade of the 1980s
Italian anni ottanta
- anni ottantathe decade of the 1980s
Japanese 八十年代, 80年代
- 八十年代 (hachijū-nendai)the decade of the 1980s
- 80年代 (hachijū-nendai)the decade of the 1980s
Korean 팔십년대, 80년대
- 팔십년대 (palsimnyeondae)the decade of the 1980s
- 80년대 (palsimnyeondae)the decade of the 1980s
Polish lata osiemdziesiąte, lata 80.
- lata osiemdziesiątethe decade of the 1980s
- lata 80.the decade of the 1980s
Portuguese anos 80
- anos 80the decade of the 1980s
Russian 80-ые, 1980-ые го́ды
- 80-ые (80-yje)the decade of the 1980s
- 1980-ые го́ды (1980-yje gódy)the decade of the 1980s
Spanish años 80
- años 80the decade of the 1980s
Swedish åttiotalet, åttiotal
- åttiotaletthe decade of the 1980s
- åttiotalthe decade of the 1980s
- 1980-taletthe decade of the 1980s
- 80-taletthe decade of the 1980s
Tagalog dekada otsenta
- dekada otsentathe decade of the 1980s
Turkish 1980'ler, seksenler
- 1980'lerthe decade of the 1980s
- seksenlerthe decade of the 1980s
Welsh pedwarugeiniau, wythdegau
- pedwarugeiniauthe decade of the 1980s
- wythdegauthe decade of the 1980s
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with eighties
All rhymes →Cite this entry
eighties. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eighties
“eighties.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eighties. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eighties,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eighties.
Source: eighties on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.