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ninety

A1
nounadjective

Pronunciation

UK

  • /nˈaɪnti/

US

  • /ˈnaɪnti/

Description

"Ninety" is the number 90, or nine groups of ten. You see it in counting, age, distance, speed, and percentages, as in "ninety years," "ninety miles," or "ninety percent." It often points to a large amount or a high level, so if you are "ninety percent sure," you feel very sure. In geometry, "ninety degrees" means a right angle, like the corner of a square or a book.

Examples

  1. 1

    Travel time

    The train leaves in ninety minutes.

  2. 2

    Age

    My grandmother turned ninety last spring.

  3. 3

    Percentage

    About ninety percent of the class passed the test.

  4. 4

    Angle

    Turn the handle ninety degrees to the right.

  5. 5

    Building age

    We stayed in a ninety-year-old hotel near the station.

  6. 6

    Driving speed

    The car was doing ninety on the highway.

    • Phrase

      doing ninety

      traveling at ninety miles or kilometers per hour

  7. 7

    Decade

    She grew up in the nineties, before everyone had a mobile phone.

    • Meaning

      the nineties

      the years from 1990 to 1999

See also

numeralthe cardinal number equal to nine tens

Similar

  • 90
  • the number 90

Shades of meaning

  • four score and ten

Contrast

Do not confuse

Used with (collocations)

  • ninety percent
  • ninety degrees
  • ninety years old

Word family

  • ninetieth

Explore

  • cardinal number
  • right angle

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • ninetynounadjective