Home › Words › O › oldnessoldness/ˈəʊldnəs/oldness means the state of being old; age.oldness is pronounced /ˈəʊldnəs/.EtymologyFrom Middle English oldnesse, from Old English ealdnes, ealdnyss (“oldness; age”), equivalent to old + -ness.nounThe state of being old; age.e.g.“This policy and reverence of age makes the world bitter to the best of our times; keeps our fortunes from us till our oldness cannot relish them.” — c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, publisheDefinitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).