What does nineteenth mean?
Nineteenth is the ordinal form of the number nineteen and identifies something in nineteenth position, such as a competitor, an item in a series, or a historical period. Its most familiar use is in “nineteenth century,” while it also appears in rankings, dates, legislation, and cultural or literary references. Unlike the cardinal nineteen, which tells how many things there are, nineteenth tells where something stands in an ordered sequence. The word is straightforward and neutral in register, although phrases such as “the nineteenth century” can acquire historical or literary associations through their subject matter. It is also distinct from ninety, the cardinal number for 90, despite their similar spelling. As an adjective, nineteenth commonly appears before a noun; as a noun, it often follows “the,” as in “the nineteenth of May.” Its relative rarity in everyday conversation reflects its specialized role as an ordinal rather than a basic counting term.
Denoting the position, order, or rank immediately corresponding to nineteen in a sequence.
"The museum acquired its nineteenth major work of modern art last year."
Common before nouns such as “century,” “Amendment,” and “hole.” When attributive and immediately preceding a noun, it is usually hyphenated.
A person or thing that occupies the nineteenth position in a sequence.
"She came nineteenth in the race despite the poor weather."
The noun use normally takes the definite article: “the nineteenth.”
The plural is rare and usually refers to multiple nineteenth-place finishes or items.
"The club recorded several nineteenths in the national championship."
Nineteenth is literally nineteen with the ordinal ending -th: a count of positions rather than a count of things.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nineteenth come from?
Nineteenth developed in Middle English by adding the ordinal suffix -th to nineteen. Nineteen itself is an English formation based on nine together with the suffix -teen, a combining form related to ten that appears in the words thirteen through nineteen. Related Germanic forms, including German neunzehn and Dutch negentien, likewise combine references to nine and ten.
Related word forms
How nineteenth is actually used
It is used in formal and informal English in British and American varieties. As an ordinal, it normally follows a definite article or an identifying number; when it precedes a noun, it is commonly hyphenated as “nineteenth-century.”
Easily confused with nineteenth
Nineteenth is the ordinal for position 19, whereas ninety is the cardinal number for the quantity 90.