twentieth
Americanadjective
-
next after the nineteenth; being the ordinal number for 20.
-
being one of 20 equal parts.
noun
-
a twentieth part, especially of one (1/20).
-
the twentieth member of a series.
adjective
-
(usually prenominal)
-
coming after the nineteenth in numbering or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of twenty: often written 20th
-
( as noun )
he left on the twentieth
-
noun
-
-
one of 20 approximately equal parts of something
-
( as modifier )
a twentieth part
-
-
the fraction that is equal to one divided by 20 ( 1/ 20 )
Etymology
Origin of twentieth
before 900; Middle English twentithe, Old English twentigotha. See twenty, -eth 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ms. Joselit describes them as both “an exercise in interiority” and a documentation of “the modern Jewish experience in the twentieth century.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
The authors attribute this rapid progress to close collaboration among universities, government agencies, and industry, the same mix of partnerships that helped microelectronics mature in the twentieth century.
From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026
For one thing, recessions are no longer anywhere near as frequent as they used to be in the first half, indeed for most of the twentieth century.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 4, 2025
Mosley’s introduction provides that frame, calling the combined tales “a twentieth century memoir” and linking them to the fight for liberation and equality.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2025
They based this speculation on the hard lessons learned during the twentieth century about the behavior of children of similar character.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.