dementia

noun

di-ˈmen(t)-shə How to pronounce dementia (audio)
Definition of dementianext
as in schizophrenia
a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life doctors were able to treat the patient's dementia with drugs and thus allow him to function on his own

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dementia Many of the physical aggressions KFF Health News identified in CMS inspection reports were perpetrated by residents with diagnoses of dementia, schizophrenia, or other cognitive disorders. — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026 Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease and the most common type of dementia. — Niya Doyle, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026 New research is drawing sharper links between dementia risk and where people live, from segregated census tracts to entire regions of the country. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026 Other factors like age, genetics, kidney function and racial background can also influence biomarker levels and dementia risk. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dementia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dementia
  1. schizophrenia
  2. insanity
  3. hysteria
  4. madness
  5. instability
Noun
  • Though some of the underlying science is still emerging, the relationship between metabolic health and mood is genuine; ketogenic and other metabolic therapies are being studied for serious mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
    — Sunny Patel, STAT, 17 July 2026
  • Dominguez, diagnosed with the symptoms of schizophrenia, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the killings.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of schizophrenia
Noun
  • This case involved a client who, after years of competency litigation, was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a state forensic hospital.
    — Schnelle Tonge, Sun Sentinel, 16 July 2026
  • This is reaching the level of insanity in the state of Georgia.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • Elon Musk continues to rage over Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which defied online hysteria from the right and broke box office records in its first days in theaters.
    — Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2026
  • The hysteria often comes with a fat dollop of Trumpian imperiousness, not requesting your engagement so much as demanding it.
    — Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Definition of hysteria
Noun
  • Their win was a victory for method over the madness that always threatened to be Argentina’s undoing.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Only readers can stop this madness, by turning their attention elsewhere.
    — Matthew Walther, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of madness
Noun
  • Stapp's answer to that instability is to stop building around policy at all.
    — Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Some state officials criticized the move as adding unneeded instability and uncertainty to running elections.
    — Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of instability

Browse Nearby Words

dementedness
dementia
demerit
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dementia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dementia. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dementia

Nglish: Translation of dementia for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dementia

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