Senior. Old. Elderly. These are words that we don't particularly want to be described as, right? As our generation ages, marketers are struggling to find effective language to use to refer to us, without being offensive. A new word has been floating around since 2016 that may be gaining some steam: perennial.  But wait, are we really going to refer to ourselves as a plant?

Perennial is defined as " lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring." We are used to the word describing a type of plant that regrows year after year. When Gina Pell, content chief of website The What, suggested the term in 2016, she was quick to clarify that it's not meant to be an age-specific term, but rather a mindset.

A San Francisco Chronicle article quotes her as saying “It’s a mind-set about being relevant, staying curious, reinvention, looking outside your own boundaries. And living life fully sans generational boundaries.” This seems like something we could be on board with, but a lot of people are having trouble accepting the word simply becuase it sounds like a plant.

Other suggestions have been "golden ager," "vintage," and "sage," but none of those have caught on. Of course, it also depends on who you ask. Many boomers really aren't concerned how they are described, as they just aren't all that sensitive to words.

So what do you think? Do you like perennial? Comment below and let us know your thoughts!