Word

ageist

adjective C1

/ˈeɪ̯.dʒɪst/

Meanings

adjective

Showing prejudice or discrimination against someone because of their age.

adjective

Based on stereotypes about age, especially in hiring, media, or everyday remarks.

Definition

Showing unfair prejudice or discrimination against people because of their age.

Ageist describes attitudes, language, or actions that judge people mainly by how old they are. It often involves stereotypes, such as assuming older people are incompetent or younger people are irresponsible. The word can refer to individuals, comments, policies, or workplace practices.

Examples

I realized my joke was ageist, so I apologized and rephrased what I meant.
You can challenge an ageist remark without turning the conversation into a personal attack.
He argued that the promotion criteria were ageist because they penalized long career breaks and late entry.
She refused to use ageist stereotypes when describing the team’s ability to adapt to new tools.
They criticized the advertisement as ageist for implying that only younger people are innovative.

Common mistake

Learners often confuse ageist with ageless; ageist is negative (prejudiced), while ageless means not showing age.