graybeard

or grey·beard

[ grey-beerd ]

noun

1. Sometimes Disparaging. a man whose beard is gray; old man; sage.
2. bellarmine.

Other Words From

• graybearded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of graybeard¹

First recorded in 1570–80; gray ¹ + beard

Example Sentences

It’s a conceit that pays off the second a shambolic Michael Keaton makes his entrance as a graybeard puttering about a near-derelict Wayne Manor.

From New York Times

They might be a reality again as he keeps scoring into his graybeard years.

From Washington Post

Sixteen years into the experiment, Twitter is a graybeard by internet years and by corporate standards.

From Los Angeles Times

After that, he became a Washington “graybeard,” a think-tanker on weapons proliferation to whom the intelligence community would occasionally turn to help figure out what the United States’ enemies were up to.

From Washington Post

The “main concern” of these legal graybeards “was avoiding any potential liability for the SBC.”

From Washington Post

Related Words

• elder
• founder
• grandfather
• ruler