老齢|ろうれいrourei[0]heiban (flat)

1. no-adjectiveold age; advanced age
   老齢ろうれいは気きづかぬうちに我々われわれに忍び寄しのびよる。↗

   Old age creeps upon us unnoticed.

• Synonym高齢こうれいNeutralThe everyday word for advanced age, as in 「高齢者」 and 「高齢化」; 「老齢」 now survives mostly in institutional terms like 「老齢年金」.
• Synonym老年ろうねんNeutralRefers to old age as a stage of life, set alongside youth and middle age; 「老齢」 centers on the state of being advanced in years.
• Synonym老いおいNeutralNative Japanese word for growing old or the aging process, and sometimes for old people; carries a wistful tone, as in 「老いを感じる」.
• Related老年期ろうねんきWrittenWritten, academic term for the old-age period in human development; in geomorphology it also names the final stage of landform erosion cycles.
• Related老いらくおいらくWrittenA literary, old-fashioned word for one's declining years, best known from 「老いらくの恋」; not used in everyday speech.
• Antonym若年じゃくねんNeutralAntonym meaning young age, as in 「若年層」; pairs with 「老齢」 as its opposite.
• Antonym幼年ようねんNeutralAntonym for early childhood, the years up to about school entry; the opposite end of the age scale from 「老齢」.

For everyday references to advanced age choose 「高齢」; keep 「老齢」 for institutional terms like 「老齢年金」. Use 「老年」 for the life stage, 「老い」 for a wistful sense of aging, and 「若年」/「幼年」 for the young end.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 年としを取とっていること。またその年齢ねんれい。