seventy

noun

sev·​en·​ty ˈse-vən-tē 

ˈse-bᵊm-, 

-dē

plural seventies

1

: a number equal to seven times 10 see Table of Numbers

2

seventies plural : the numbers 70 to 79

specifically : the years 70 to 79 in a lifetime or century

3

Seventy : a Latter-day Saint elder ordained for missionary work under the apostles

seventieth

ˈse-vən-tē-əth 

ˈse-bᵊm-, 

-dē-

adjective or noun

seventy adjective

seventy pronoun, plural in construction

Examples of seventy in a Sentence

She is in her seventies.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Jackson Five find success; then, in the late seventies, the adult Michael (played, with extraordinary flair, by Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s real-life nephew) seeks a solo career—and confronts Joe’s domineering maneuvers. —Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026

Danielson remembers Lind, an affable old mariner then in his seventies, complimenting them on their docking skills, and introducing himself as the owner of the Robert Gray, a 125-foot Army Corps of Engineers research vessel built in 1936. —Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026

Now in his seventies, readying for the latest in a series of career-spanning retrospectives, Agüero is reluctant to weigh in on the fate of documentary cinema in these fraught times. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026

For someone in their late sixties or seventies, this level of exposure carries unique risks. —Jonathan I. Shenkman, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

seventy, adjective, from Middle English, from Old English seofontig, short for hundseofontig, from hundseofontig, noun, group of seventy, from hund hundred + seofon seven + -tig group of ten; akin to Old English tīen ten

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing seventy

• seventy-eight

Kids Definition

seventy

noun

sev·​en·​ty ˈsev-ən-tē 

plural seventies

: a number equal to seven times 10 see number

seventieth

-tē-əth 

adjective or noun

seventy adjective or pronoun