Ikääntyä

Ikääntyä is a Finnish verb meaning to grow old or to age. It is an intransitive verb that describes the process by which a living being becomes older, though the concept can also be used in a broader sense to refer to the aging of populations, organisms, or, metaphorically, systems and technologies over time.

In everyday language, ikääntyä is commonly used about people, animals, and biological aging. It appears in discussions of health, gerontology, and demographics. The related noun ikääntyminen denotes the process of aging, while ikääntynyt or ikääntyvä describe someone or something that is aged or aging. The term can also appear in more formal or scientific contexts, such as biologi- cal aging, cellular aging, or population aging.

Nuance and synonyms: vanheneminen is a closely related term often used to describe aging in a general sense, with ikääntyminen carrying a more formal or technical nuance. In many contexts, ikääntyä and vanheneminen are interchangeable, though choice of word may reflect tone or emphasis on biological versus social aspects of aging.

Examples: Hän ikääntyy hitaasti. Väestö ikääntyy nopeasti. Biologinen ikääntyminen merkitsee solujen ja kudosten ajan myötä tapahtuvaa muutosta.

See also: vanheneminen, ikääntyminen, ikä.