(Redirected from Thirty-something):''For the television show of the same name, see''
Thirtysomething ''(TV series)''.
The term 'thirtysomething' was initially introduced during the
1980s to describe a person of the
baby boom generation, born during the
1940s and
1950s. It has now entered common usage in the
English language to describe a person between the ages of 30 and 39.
Almost immediately after the introduction of the
1980s television show, ''
Thirtysomething'', the term became a
catch phrase used to designate
baby boomers in their thirties. This cultural shift was reinforced by the
Oxford English Dictionary, which added "thirtysomething" in 1993 (under the word "
thirty") and defined the term as follows:
:''popularized as a catch-phrase by the
U.S. television programme ''
thirtysomething'', first broadcast in 1987...applied to members of the baby boom generation entering their thirties in the mid-1980s; also ''attrib.'' or as ''adj. phr.'' (hence, characteristic of the tastes and lifestyle of this group).''
In the early
1990s, the term
twentysomething was introduced to describe a younger generation. This was initially applied to
Generation X, but the term twentysomething now means members of
Generation Y.
The current crop of thirtysomethings are people born from 1968 to 1977 (Generation X).
Trivia
★ On the model of
quadragenarian for 40-49 years old,
quinquagenarian for 50-59, and so on, "tricenarian" could be a valid term but is not in common use. (although it does exist in some other languages; cf.
French ''trentenaire''.)
See also
★
Ageing
★
Baby boomers
★
Yuppies