forties
Post-thirties, pre-fifties
The forties are the years from 40 to 49 in a century or a person's life.
She's in her forties means between 40 and 49 years old.
The forties usually refers to the 1940s—World War II, postwar optimism, film noir.
A forty is a 40-ounce bottle of beer, so forties appears in that context too: We grabbed some forties from the corner store.
Suspended recreational seat
- rationingLimiting distribution during scarcity
- wartimePeriod of armed conflict
- jitterbugEnergetic swing-era partner dance
- postwarAfter hostilities end
pin-up · bebop · D-Day · Holocaust · Truman · USO · blackouts · Casablanca
In life's middle decades
- maturityFull growth achieved
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- experiencePractical knowledge from life
- growthIncrease in size
stability · responsibility · parenthood · reflection · reinvention · self-improvement · mentorship · sophistication
Decisive dangerous moment
- transitionChange from one state
- reassessmentRenewed evaluation of something
- menopauseEnd of fertility
- andropauseMen's midlife hormonal change
self-discovery · reinvention · questioning · second-act · divorce · affair · therapy · identity
Evoking recent past
- classicOf lasting excellence
- antiqueOld valued collectible
- collectibleObject worth amassing
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
memorabilia · Bakelite · sepia · nostalgia · mid-century · heirloom · preserved · authentic
Wind-propelled water travel
- westerliesWinds from the sunset
- navigationDetermining position and course
- trade-windsPersistent tropical belt winds
- maritimeOf the sea
swing
Suspended recreational seat
- rationingLimiting distribution during scarcity
- wartimePeriod of armed conflict
- jitterbugEnergetic swing-era partner dance
postwar · pin-up · bebop · D-Day · Holocaust · Truman · USO · blackouts · Casablanca
middle-aged
In life's middle decades
- maturityFull growth achieved
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- experiencePractical knowledge from life
growth · stability · responsibility · parenthood · reflection · reinvention · self-improvement · mentorship · sophistication · fulfillment
crisis
Decisive dangerous moment
- transitionChange from one state
- reassessmentRenewed evaluation of something
- menopauseEnd of fertility
andropause · self-discovery · reinvention · questioning · second-act · divorce · affair · therapy · identity · awakening
retro
Evoking recent past
- classicOf lasting excellence
- antiqueOld valued collectible
- collectibleObject worth amassing
period · memorabilia · Bakelite · sepia · nostalgia · mid-century · heirloom · preserved · authentic · curio
sailing
Wind-propelled water travel
- westerliesWinds from the sunset
- navigationDetermining position and course
- trade-windsPersistent tropical belt winds
fortiesinfancy
Earliest period of life
childhood · teens · youth · nineties · toddlerhood
fortiesbelow zero
Temperature beneath freezing
subzero · nineties · hundreds · triple digits · ones
fortiestwenties
Third decade of life
roaring twenties · sixties · nineties · aughts · Victorian era
- roaring fortiesTempestuous latitude band