alternde

Alternde is a German term functioning as a present-participle adjective derived from the verb altern (to age). It describes something that is in the process of aging or is characterized by age, with common applications to people, populations, and social phenomena.

Grammatically, alternde is used attributively before a noun: alternde Bevölkerung (an aging population), eine alternde Gesellschaft, ein alternder Mann. It agrees with the noun in gender and number and follows standard German adjective inflection patterns. The related participle form alternd can also appear as a predicative or in more informal contexts.

In demography and sociology, alternde is widely used to discuss the structural aging of societies. Phrases such as alternde Bevölkerung, alternde Gesellschaft, and the broader Alterungsprozess are common in academic and policy discourse, reflecting rising life expectancy and shifting age structures toward older age groups.

In English-language writing, alternde is not a standard term; its meaning is usually conveyed with aging or ageing. When appear in bilingual or translated texts, it may be rendered as aging or used in quoted German phrases, rather than adopted as a regular English word.

Related topics include aging, population aging, demography, and gerontology.