geriatric

/ˈdʒɛriˌætrɪk/

/dʒɛriˈætrɪk/

Other forms: geriatrics

Use the adjective geriatric to describe something that has to do with elderly people. The geriatric ward of a hospital is specifically designated for elderly patients. You can bet they have some pretty lively bingo nights there.

Geriatric often describes something related to the medical care of elderly people, like a geriatric hospital. When it’s used outside of a health care context, it takes on a sense of “feeble” or “decrepit.” It can be humorous if you use it about someone or something that's not actually old, like a group of middle-aged people calling their weekly cocktail gatherings the “geriatric club.” But if you call your grandparents’ golf buddies the “geriatric club,” they’d probably be offended.

Definitions of geriatric

1. adjective

   of or relating to the aged
   “geriatric disorder”
2. adjective

   of or relating to or practicing geriatrics
   “geriatric hospital”

   synonyms: gerontological