Standard Lemma guide

eighties

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪtiz
  • CMU ARPABET: EY1 T IY0 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

From or evoking the 81st through 90th years of a century (chiefly the 1980s).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Sue picked a playlist of eighties music for the dinner to remind her wife of that night they met all those years ago.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

plural of eighty

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The decade of the 1880s, 1980s, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • Only kids born in the eighties remember this song!
  • 1919, Harry Hamilton Johnston, The Gay-Dombeys: A Novel, Macmillan, page 172, He and his clever staff of minor blackguards exploited to the full every weakness and caries in the London Society of the 'eighties, 'nineties, and 'oughts.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The decade of one's life from age 80 through age 89.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • Only folks in their eighties remember this song!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The range between 80 and 89.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Qualifier: rates

Topics: temperature

Examples

  • No wonder I'm sweating, it's in the eighties!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the time of life between 80 and 90

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mid-eighties

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: time of life

7

noun

Meaning 7

the decade from 1980 to 1989

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: 1980s

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: decade, decennary, decennium

8

noun

Meaning 8

the decade from 1880 to 1889

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: 1880s

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: decade, decennary, decennium

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: anys vuitanta — the decade of the 1980s
  • Catalan: anys 80 — the decade of the 1980s
  • Catalan: dècada de 1980 — the decade of the 1980s
  • Catalan: dècada del 1980 — the decade of the 1980s
  • Chinese Mandarin: 八十年代 (bāshí niándài) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Chinese Mandarin: 80年代 (bāshí niándài) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Dutch: jaren tachtig — the decade of the 1980s
  • Dutch: jaren 80 — the decade of the 1980s
  • Dutch: jaren 1980 — the decade of the 1980s
  • Finnish: kahdeksankymmentäluku — the decade of the 1980s
  • Finnish: 80-luku — the decade of the 1980s
  • Finnish: 1980-luku — the decade of the 1980s
  • French: années quatre-vingt — the decade of the 1980s
  • French: années 80 — the decade of the 1980s
  • Georgian: 1980-იანები (1980-ianebi) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Georgian: 1980-იანი წლები (1980-iani c̣lebi) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Georgian: ათას ცხრაას ოთხმოციანი წლები (atas cxraas otxmociani c̣lebi) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Georgian: ოთხმოციანები (otxmocianebi) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Georgian: ოთხმოციანი წლები (otxmociani c̣lebi) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Georgian: 80-იანები (80-ianebi) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Georgian: 80-იანი წლები (80-iani c̣lebi) — the decade of the 1980s
  • German: achtziger Jahre — the decade of the 1980s
  • German: Achtzigerjahre — the decade of the 1980s
  • German: Achtziger — the decade of the 1980s
  • German: neunzehnhundertachtziger Jahre — the decade of the 1980s
  • German: 1980er — the decade of the 1980s
  • Hungarian: nyolcvanas évek — the decade of the 1980s
  • Indonesian: tahun delapan puluhan — the decade of the 1980s
  • Italian: anni ottanta — the decade of the 1980s
  • Japanese: 八十年代 (hachijū-nendai) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Japanese: 80年代 (hachijū-nendai) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Korean: 팔십년대 (palsimnyeondae) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Korean: 80년대 (palsimnyeondae) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Polish: lata osiemdziesiąte — the decade of the 1980s
  • Polish: lata 80. — the decade of the 1980s
  • Portuguese: anos 80 — the decade of the 1980s
  • Russian: 80-ые (80-yje) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Russian: 1980-ые го́ды (1980-yje gódy) — the decade of the 1980s
  • Serbo-Croatian: осамдесете — the decade of the 1980s
  • Serbo-Croatian: 80-е — the decade of the 1980s
  • Serbo-Croatian: osamdesete — the decade of the 1980s
  • Serbo-Croatian: 80-e — the decade of the 1980s
  • Spanish: años 80 — the decade of the 1980s
  • Swedish: åttiotalet — the decade of the 1980s
  • Swedish: åttiotal — the decade of the 1980s
  • Swedish: 1980-talet — the decade of the 1980s
  • Swedish: 80-talet — the decade of the 1980s
  • Tagalog: dekada otsenta — the decade of the 1980s
  • Turkish: 1980'ler — the decade of the 1980s
  • Turkish: seksenler — the decade of the 1980s
  • Welsh: pedwarugeiniau — the decade of the 1980s
  • Welsh: wythdegau — the decade of the 1980s
Real reading context

eighties in complete knowledge articles