DREYFUS THIRD CENTURY FUND INC

Fund Summary

Investment Objective

The fund seeks to provide capital growth,

with current income as a secondary goal.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the fund or certain other funds in the Dreyfus Family of Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the Shareholder Guide section beginning on page 8 of the prospectus and in the How to Buy Shares section and the Additional Information About How to Buy Shares section beginning on page II-1 and page III-1, respectively, of the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - DREYFUS THIRD CENTURY FUND INC	Class A		Class C	Class I	Class Y	Class Z
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	5.75%		none	none	none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of lower of purchase or sale price)	none	[1]	1.00%	none	none	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - DREYFUS THIRD CENTURY FUND INC	Class A	Class C	Class I	Class Y		Class Z
Management fees	0.75%	0.75%	0.75%	0.75%		0.75%
Distribution (12b-1) fees	none	0.75%	none	none		none
Other expenses (including shareholder services fees)	0.48%	0.48%	0.16%	0.13%	[1]	0.28%
Total annual fund operating expenses	1.23%	1.98%	0.91%	0.88%		1.03%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example - DREYFUS THIRD CENTURY FUND INC - USD ($)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class A	693	943	1,212	1,978
Class C	301	621	1,068	2,306
Class I	93	290	504	1,120
Class Y	90	281	488	1,084
Class Z	105	328	569	1,259

You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:

Expense Example No Redemption - DREYFUS THIRD CENTURY FUND INC - USD ($)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class A	693	943	1,212	1,978
Class C	201	621	1,068	2,306
Class I	93	290	504	1,120
Class Y	90	281	488	1,084
Class Z	105	328	569	1,259

Portfolio Turnover

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 61.45% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goals, the fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its net assets in the common stocks of companies that, in the opinion of the fund's management, meet traditional investment standards and conduct their business in a manner that contributes to the enhancement of the quality of life in America.

The fund's investment strategy combines a disciplined investment process that consists of computer modeling techniques, fundamental analysis and risk management with a social investment process. In selecting stocks, the portfolio managers begin by using computer models to identify and rank stocks within an industry or sector, based on several characteristics, including value, growth and financial profile.

Next, based on fundamental analysis, the portfolio managers designate the most attractive of the higher ranked securities as potential purchase candidates, drawing on a variety of sources, including company management and internal as well as Wall Street research.

The portfolio managers then evaluate each stock considered to be a potential purchase candidate, by industry or sector, to determine whether the company enhances the quality of life in America by considering its record in the areas of protection and improvement of the environment and the proper use of our natural resources, occupational health and safety, consumer protection and product purity and equal employment opportunity.

The portfolio managers then further examine the companies determined to be eligible for purchase, by industry or sector, and select investments from those companies the portfolio managers consider to be the most attractive based on financial considerations.

The fund normally focuses on large-cap growth stocks but also may invest in value-oriented stocks, mid-cap stocks and small-cap stocks.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

·Risks of stock investing. Stocks generally fluctuate more in value than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is the chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and falling prices. The market value of a stock may decline due to general market conditions or because of factors that affect the particular company or the company's industry.

·Social investment risk. Socially responsible investment criteria may limit the number of investment opportunities available to the fund, and as a result, at times the fund's returns may be lower than those funds that are not subject to such special investment considerations. If the portfolio managers determine that a company in the fund's portfolio fails to meet the fund's social criteria, the company's stock will be sold as soon as reasonably possible, consistent with the best interests of the fund.

·Large cap stock risk. To the extent the fund invests in large capitalization stocks, the fund may underperform funds that invest primarily in the stocks of lower quality, smaller capitalization companies during periods when the stocks of such companies are in favor.

·Small and midsize company risk. Small and midsize companies carry additional risks because the operating histories of these companies tend to be more limited, their earnings and revenues less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices more volatile than those of larger, more established companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or may depend on a limited management group. Other investments are made in anticipation of future products, services or events whose delay or cancellation could cause the stock price to drop. The shares of smaller companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the fund's ability to sell these securities. Some of the fund's investments will rise and fall based on investor perception rather than economic factors.

·Growth stock risk. Investors often expect growth companies to increase their earnings at a certain rate. If these expectations are not met, investors can punish the stocks inordinately, even if earnings do increase. In addition, growth stocks may lack the dividend yield that may cushion stock prices in market downturns.

·Value stock risk. Value stocks involve the risk that they may never reach their expected full market value, either because the market fails to recognize the stock's intrinsic worth or the expected value was misgauged. They also may decline in price even though in theory they are already undervalued.

Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund's Class Z shares from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund's shares to those of a broad measure of market performance. The fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. Sales charges, if any, are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would have been less than those shown. More recent performance information may be available at www.dreyfus.com.

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%) Class Z

Best Quarter
Q2, 2009: 17.10%

Worst Quarter
Q4, 2008: -21.30%

The year-to-date total return of the fund's Class Z shares as of June 30, 2016 was 1.25%.

Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12/31/15)

After-tax performance is shown only for Class Z shares. After tax performance of the fund's other share classes will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

For the fund's Class Y shares, periods prior to the inception date reflect the performance of the fund's Class Z shares. Such performance figures have not been adjusted to reflect applicable class fees and expenses. Each share class is invested in the same portfolio of securities, and the annual returns would have differed only to the extent that the classes do not have the same expenses.

Average Annual Returns - DREYFUS THIRD CENTURY FUND INC	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years	Average Annual Returns, Inception Date
Class Z	(3.20%)	10.55%	6.86%
Class A	(8.91%)	8.98%	5.96%
Class C	(5.04%)	9.47%	5.80%
Class I	(3.10%)	10.67%	7.04%
Class Y	(3.20%)	10.55%	6.86%	Sep. 30, 2016
After Taxes on Distributions | Class Z	(6.21%)	8.98%	6.06%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class Z	0.71%	8.39%	5.55%
S&P 500® Index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes	1.39%	12.55%	7.30%

[1] Class A shares bought without an initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more may be charged a deferred sales charge of 1.00% if redeemed within one year.

[1] Other expenses for Class Y are estimated amounts for the current fiscal year based on the Other expenses for Class I.