Elder vs. Older
Cambridge distinguishes the wider comparative “older” from the more restricted “elder.” “Elder” is normally attributive and especially common for family relationships, while “older” can describe people or things and can also appear after a linking verb.
Use “older” broadly for age comparisons. “Elder” can mean older too, but as an adjective it normally comes before a noun and is especially associated with family relationships.
Key details
Further guidance
Core difference
“Older” is the general age-comparison form; “elder” has a narrower attributive, often family-related use.
Fast Test
Use “older” if the comparison concerns a thing, follows a linking verb, or simply needs the ordinary comparative. Use “elder” before a family noun when that conventional wording fits.
Usage Boundary
Do not write “She is elder than him” in ordinary modern English; Cambridge treats predicative comparison as a job for “older.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Elder, eldest or older, oldest? — Cambridge Grammar (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct grammar guidance on the family/attributive limits of elder and the broader use of older.