Basic Details
Word: Eldest
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Oldest of three or more people, especially brothers, sisters or children in one family.
Synonyms: oldest, first-born
Antonyms: youngest
How to Spell Eldest
Syllables: eld - est
Tricky part: It is eld + est, with no o. Eldest is used mainly for people in a family; oldest works for anything.
Watch out for: eldst, eledest, eldist
Memory tip: Elder and eldest are a pair: change -er to -est. Both begin e-l-d, which is why there is no o in either.
Usage Examples
Example 1: My eldest sister is studying medicine in Manipal.
Example 2: The eldest son was given charge of the family farm.
Example 3: As the eldest of five cousins, Neha was in charge of the games.
Fun Fact
Elder and eldest are the old comparative and superlative forms of old; in Old English the vowel changed in these forms, which is why they start with e.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word eldest as used in the sentence:
Being the eldest, Tanvi always got the window seat on family trips.
a) youngest
b) senior
c) first-born
d) oldest
Show answer
a) youngest. Oldest, first-born and senior point the same way as eldest; the youngest is born last.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
The tsdele of the three brothers runs the family's sweet shop near the bus stand.
a) oldest
b) settle
c) elders
d) eldest
Show answer
d) eldest. Oldest needs an o, elders has no t, and settle has no d, so the letters spell eldest.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. desendant 2. eldest 3. ansestor 4. neice
a) a person born later in a family line
b) oldest among brothers, sisters or a group
c) the daughter of your brother or sister
d) a person in your family who lived long ago
Show answer
b) oldest among brothers, sisters or a group. Ancestor and descendant both hide a c, and niece puts i before e, leaving eldest.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If Ravi is the eldest of four children, he was ____.
a) born on the same day
b) born second
c) born last
d) born first
Show answer
d) born first
2. In a village, an elder is ____.
a) a young farm worker
b) a newly arrived visitor
c) a noisy neighbour
d) an older, respected person
Show answer
d) an older, respected person
