golden years
13
3.7
- noun
- Informal
:
años de jubilación
- Do they not deserve, having worked all their lives, to enjoy their golden years without fear of a horrendous, lonely death?
I've been asked why do you spend your golden years pursuing such an out like unlikely outcome?
- I've been asked why do you spend your golden years pursuing such an out like unlikely outcome?
Examples
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"No American should have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies," he said.
Blog text (15) -
I am just a law-abiding retiree enjoying his golden years.
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Ray, this is supposed to be our golden years.
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These are the golden years.
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And the question is, does he want to spend his golden years with somebody or not?
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Live out my golden years and all that.
Fiction book (2002) -
It's a luxury development... where all the residents are in their golden years.
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We cannot grow our economy if we resign a whole generation of our senior citizens to living their golden years in poverty.
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I have spent my entire married life putting you and your career first, and what got me through was knowing that when you retired, we would share our golden years together.
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After years of hard work, they finally reached their golden years, enjoying travel and leisure activities together.
Synonyms
665
1.0
The later time in life when a person is old
1
7.0
A time in life after retirement when people are older
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning arises from a straightforward metaphorical composition: 'golden' (excellent, fortunate) + 'years' (period of time) so learners will infer 'very good years'. However, the conventionalized reference to the specific life stage after retirement (a period of relaxation/enjoyment) is not fully predictable from the parts alone, so prior exposure or cultural knowledge is needed for that narrower sense.
Etymology
Golden years paints a simple picture: like the warm, golden light of a sunset, this late part of life looks calm and beautiful, and people imagine it as a precious time. People use golden years to mean the time after 'retirement' when life is peaceful and enjoyable.