ältere

Ältere is a German adjective form derived from alt and used to express that something or someone is of greater age. It functions primarily as an attributive adjective before nouns and its ending changes according to case, gender and number, as well as the presence of a determiner. For example: der ältere Mann (nominative masculine singular), die ältere Frau (nominative feminine singular), das ältere Kind (nominative neuter singular). In plural: die älteren Männer, die älteren Frauen, die älteren Kinder.

In German, the exact ending of älter e depends on the surrounding grammar. With definite articles you typically see der ältere Mann, die ältere Frau, das ältere Kind, and in plural die älteren Männer, die älteren Frauen, die älteren Kinder. With indefinite articles you get ein älterer Mann, eine ältere Frau, ein älteres Kind. When no article is present, strong endings appear, such as ältere Männer or ältere Kinder in plural. The form ältere can appear in feminine singular as die ältere Frau and in other cases as part of the declined adjectives.

Ältere also exists as a noun when capitalized: Die Älteren. In this usage, it refers to the older generation or to older people as a group, akin to “the elderly.” This nominalization is common in sociological, political or media contexts and can be contrasted with Die Jüngeren (“the younger ones”). The noun form typically carries plural agreement: Die Älteren wünschen sich oft mehr Unterstützung.

Etymologically, älter derives from Old High German alt, linked to Proto-Germanic *aldaz, with the comparative form älter and the superlative tied to am ältesten or der/die Älteste as a noun. In modern usage, ältere and related forms are standard ways to describe age, often with nuance: some contexts prefer ältere Menschen or ältere Generationen over terms like Senioren, depending on tone and specificity.