Ageless describes something that doesn't seem to grow old or go out of style. A classic book like The Wizard of Oz feels ageless because children today enjoy it just as much as children did when it was written in 1900. An ageless song like “Happy Birthday” never sounds outdated, no matter how many decades pass.

The word can describe people too. When someone looks ageless, you can't easily guess their age because they seem youthful and energetic. Some people have an ageless quality in how they think and act: they stay curious, playful, and open to new ideas throughout their lives, whether they're twenty or eighty.

Ageless is different from simply being old or new. A building might be ancient but not ageless if it looks worn down and forgotten. But a beautifully maintained cathedral that still inspires awe after 800 years could be called ageless. The word suggests a kind of timeless quality, as if something has found a way to stay fresh and meaningful across the years. Great ideas, beautiful designs, and wonderful stories can have this ageless quality: they speak to something fundamental about being human that doesn't change even as the world around us does.