Also written: The elderly
| Source | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| SumOfUs | 2016 | Use with care |
| Global Center for Journalism & Trauma | 2021 | Avoid |
| American Psychological Association | 2023 | Avoid |
| Diversity Style Guide | 2023 | Use with care |
“Whenever possible, ask the preferred terminology. One person may prefer "senior," while another person with the same age number may prefer "older adult."”
SumOfUs lists "older person" and "elderly person" among acceptable age terms but directs writers to ask for the preferred term, noting one person may prefer "senior" while another prefers "older adult." Self-identification governs the choice.
“Avoid the use of "seniors" and "elderly" to describe individuals or groups. Use medical terminology to describe common age-related medical conditions … only when supported by a diagnosis.”
GCJT draws the hardest line of the four — it rejects "elderly" for individuals and groups alike, where DSG and SumOfUs allow narrow uses. As a trauma-journalism guide its second rule is the distinctive one: don't reach for clinical labels (frail, suffering from) as a euphemism for old; age-related medical terms belong in copy only when an actual diagnosis supports them.
“Term to avoid: the elderly. Suggested alternative: older adults. … Avoid language that promotes stereotypes that "other" older adults. However, please note that in certain cultures, the term "Elder" is considered an honorific.”
APA's term-to-avoid table lists "the elderly" and "elderly people," prescribing "older adults" and "older people" instead because such terms "other" older adults. It flags that "Elder" functions as an honorific in some cultures.
“Use this word carefully and sparingly. The term is appropriate only in generic phrases that do not refer to specific individuals: concern for the elderly, a home for the elderly, etc.”
DSG's contribution is a grammatical test rather than a flat ban: the line falls between generic phrases and named people. "Concern for the elderly" passes because it points at a category; "the elderly woman" fails because it pins the label to an individual. That distinction is what keeps DSG at use-with-care while APA and GCJT land on avoid.
Across all four sources, “older adults” is the preferred term and “the elderly” is the form to move away from — though the guides split on how hard a line to draw. APA is the most direct: its term-to-avoid table lists “the elderly” and “elderly people” and prescribes “older adults” or “older people,” on the reasoning that the blanket noun “others” older adults into a single undifferentiated category. GCJT goes furthest, advising writers to avoid “seniors” and “elderly” for individuals or groups altogether.
The Diversity Style Guide and SumOfUs land a step softer, at use-with-care rather than avoid. DSG draws the line by grammar: “elderly” is acceptable in generic phrases that don’t name a person (“concern for the elderly,” “a home for the elderly”), but “describing a person as elderly is bad form.” SumOfUs lists “older person” and “elderly person” among acceptable terms but routes the decision back to the individual: ask the preferred term, because one person may prefer “senior” while another the same age prefers “older adult.” That deference to self-identification connects the softer and harder positions. None of the guides wants a writer assigning an age label the subject wouldn’t choose.
APA adds a cross-cultural caveat: “Elder,” capitalized, “is considered an honorific” in certain cultures, the opposite of othering. This matters most in Indigenous contexts, where Elder is a title of standing, not a euphemism for old. The default, then: use “older adults,” reserve “elderly” for generic non-personal phrases if at all, ask when you can, and never flatten “Elder”-as-honorific into “elderly.”