centenarian

/ˈsɛntəˌnɛriən/

Other forms: centenarians

People who live to be 100 years old are centenarians. As life expectancy increases, the number of centenarians does too.

Today's centenarians have lived almost 30 years longer than the average U.S. life span, which is about 77 years. If you consider everything that's occurred over the last century, it's pretty amazing to think of all the changes and historical events that most centenarians have witnessed. You can use the word as an adjective, too: "I'd like you to meet my centenarian great-grandmother!" The Latin root of centenarian is centum, "hundred."

Definitions of centenarian

1. adjective

   being at least 100 years old
   synonyms:

   old

   (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
2. noun

   someone who is at least 100 years old
   type of:

   golden ager, old person, oldster, senior citizen

   an elderly person