Meanings
plural oldsters
- informalsometimes disrespectfulSomeone who is old.
He was quoted as saying alcohol was better than milk in the diet of "oldsters."
1959, The Farm Quarterly, Volume 14, volume 14, Land Media Incorporated, page 202 more examples
'Oh yes,' laughed Solitaire. 'Plenty of them. All the local inhabitants who take the money off the oldsters, for instance. The people who own the motels and the trailer-camps. You could make plenty of money running the bingo tournaments.'
1954, Ian Fleming, “The Everglades”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 121The oldsters start squabbling about whose memory is better. “It was cold that day,” one says about some faraway memory. “What are you talking about? It was May, late May,” says another.
2020 February 10, David Brooks, “The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake”, in The AtlanticSynonyms: geezer, old timer, senior citizen, ager, antique, badge-cove, cheeser, coffin dodger · Antonyms: youngster
- nauticalA midshipman of four years' standing; a master's mate.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSomeone who is old.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From old + -ster, modelled after youngster. Attested from early 19th c.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
oldster. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oldster
“oldster.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oldster. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oldster,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oldster.
Source: oldster on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.