What does ageist mean?
Word: Ageist
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Ageist means treating people unfairly because of how old they are, especially older people.
Synonyms: prejudiced, biased, discriminatory
Antonyms: fair, unbiased
Word origin: Formed in English in the late 1960s, when people began to name unfair treatment of the old.
How do you spell ageist?
Syllables: age - ist
Tricky part: The j sound is spelt with a g, never a j, so ajeist is wrong.
Watch out for: ajeist, ajist
Memory tip: Gentle, giant and ageist: each has a soft g that is said like j.
Ageist in a sentence
Example 1: It is ageist to assume Grandpa cannot learn to use a smartphone.
Example 2: The company was criticised for an ageist job advert that asked only for people under 25.
Example 3: Calling every older driver slow is an ageist remark.
Fun Fact
The noun for this kind of unfairness was coined in 1969 by the American doctor Robert Butler, who spent his career studying old age.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The club dropped its agiest rule that kept members over sixty off the court, and its oldest player went on to win the badmington final.
a) only agiest
b) only badmington
c) club and badmington
d) agiest and badmington
Show answer
d) agiest and badmington. The vowels in ageist come e then i, and badminton has no g.
Word Champ
Read the statements and choose the correct option:
1. An ageist comment judges a person unfairly because of how old they are. 2. A pianist is a person who plays the piano. 3. A florist is a scientist who studies plants in a laboratory.
a) all three are true
b) only 1 and 2 are true
c) only 3 is true
d) only 1 is true
Show answer
b) only 1 and 2 are true. A florist sells and arranges flowers; a scientist who studies plants is a botanist.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. ageist 2. altruist 3. pessimist a. unfair to people because of how old they are b. a person who always expects the worst c. a person who cares about others more than about themselves
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Ageist is about how old people are, an altruist puts others first, and a pessimist expects things to go wrong.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
123456 gtiesa
a) 164352
b) 614352
c) 614532
d) 641352
Show answer
b) 614352. Only one order makes the word for unfair to older people; the others leave the letters in a muddle.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which remark is ageist?
a) Old people can't learn new games.
b) My aunt teaches yoga at the park.
c) Grandma won the carrom final.
d) Uncle turned sixty last week.
Show answer
a) Old people can't learn new games.
2. Which job advert is ageist?
a) Applicants need a driving licence.
b) Applicants must speak good Hindi.
c) Only applicants under 30 need apply.
d) Applicants should enjoy teamwork.
Show answer
c) Only applicants under 30 need apply.
