adjective
fortieth
FOR-tee-uth
Fortieth (adjective) means coming after thirty-nine others in a sequence, the ordinal form of forty. Example: “She celebrated her fortieth birthday last week.”
adjective
1
Coming after thirty-nine others in a sequence, the ordinal form of forty.
"She celebrated her fortieth birthday last week."
"This is the fortieth time he's told that story."
"The company marked its fortieth anniversary with a small party."
noun
1
The person or thing that comes in fortieth position, or one of forty equal parts of a whole.
"He was the fortieth to arrive at the meeting."
"Each slice was cut to a fortieth of the whole cake."
"A fortieth of the total is still a fair sum of money."
How to use fortieth
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishIt just means number forty in a list, like 'first, second, third... fortieth'.
When to use it
It is a plain, everyday ordinal number with no particular formality attached.
Memory tip
Say the whole word aloud slowly, for-ti-eth, since it's easy to mishear against fourteenth.
Trace the full origin ↓
Easily confused with
Common pairings
fortieth birthday
fortieth anniversary
a fortieth of the total
the fortieth in line
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She celebrated her _____ birthday last week.
Etymology
Fortieth developed from an earlier form, fourteth, going back to Middle English fourtithe. It is formed from forty plus the ordinal ending -eth.
Rhymes for fortieth
See all rhymes for fortieth →Frequently asked questions
What does fortieth mean?
Fortieth is the ordinal number that comes after thirty-ninth, corresponding to the number forty.
How do you write fortieth as a numeral?
It is commonly written as 40th.
Is fortieth used as a noun as well as an adjective?
Yes, as a noun it can mean the thing in fortieth position, or one of forty equal parts of something.
What is the meaning of fortieth?
"fortieth" (adjective) means coming after thirty-nine others in a sequence, the ordinal form of forty.
