dementia

de·men·tia

noun \di-ˈmen(t)-shə, -shē-ə\

Definition of DEMENTIA

1

: a usually progressive condition (as Alzheimer's disease) marked by deteriorated cognitive functioning often with emotional apathy

2

: madness, insanity <a fanaticism bordering on dementia>

— de·men·tial \-shəl\ adjective

Examples of DEMENTIA

1. This patient suffers from dementia.
2. a new study on age-related dementias

Origin of DEMENTIA

Latin, from dement-, demens mad, from de- + ment-, mens mind — more at mind

First Known Use: 1806

Related to DEMENTIA

Synonyms

aberration, insanity, derangement, lunacy, madness, mania, rage [archaic]

Antonyms

mind, saneness, sanity

Related Words

neurosis, psychosis; instability, irrationality, unreasonableness; delirium, frenzy, hysteria; hallucinosis, hypomania, paranoia, schizophrenia; senile dementia; delusion, hallucination; monomania, obsession, phobia; abnormality, dementedness, unsoundness

Near Antonyms

lucidity, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness; normality, soundness

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

de·men·tia

noun \di-ˈmen-chə\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of DEMENTIA

: a usually progressive condition (as Alzheimer's disease) marked by the development of multiple cognitive deficits (as memory impairment, aphasia, and inability to plan and initiate complex behavior)

—de·men·tial \-chəl\ (audio pronunciation) adjective

dementia

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Chronic, usually progressive deterioration of intellectual functions. Most common in the elderly, it usually begins with short-term-memory loss once thought a normal result of aging but now known to result from Alzheimer disease. Other common causes are Pick disease and vascular disease. Dementia also occurs in Huntington chorea, paresis (see paralysis), and some types of encephalitis. Treatable causes include hypothyroidism (see thyroid gland), other metabolic diseases, and some malignant tumours. Treatment may arrest dementia's progress but usually does not reverse it.