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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 In contrast, those with all three conditions averaged just 17 years before developing dementia or dying. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Already, Schectman and her staff are rethinking dementia care. — Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The fragmentation of dementia sometimes makes David’s consciousness more sharply attuned to things, while entire other swaths of life fall away. — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 These viewers also had more white matter hyperintensities, which are changes seen on MRI that reflect injury to the brain’s small blood vessels and have been linked to cognitive decline and dementia. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dementia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dementia
  1. schizophrenia
  2. insanity
  3. hysteria
  4. madness
  5. instability
Noun
  • In the last three decades, as involuntary outpatient treatment for people with serious mental health conditions like schizophrenia have expanded to almost every state, the evidence for these programs’ efficacy has remained murky.
    — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Colt did not have any signs of insanity, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, Richards said.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
Definition of schizophrenia
Noun
  • The law revised Kentucky’s insanity defense and mandatory reentry supervision rules in response to issues raised by Exantus’ case.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • If certain compounds could seemingly induce the symptoms of insanity, then perhaps insanity was a result of faulty brain chemistry—and could thus be treated with psychiatric drugs.
    — Kimon de Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • The wider track record is poor, women with multiple sclerosis were diagnosed with hysteria for decades before the disease was reliably recognized in them.
    — Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Immediately after the trade was announced on Saturday night, hysteria swept through the baseball world.
    — Daniela Suarez, NBC news, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of hysteria
Noun
  • The morning of the wedding could be spent escaping the madness for a moment of peace among the trees, or arranging a pre-wedding morning coffee overlooking the estate.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Back in King’s Landing, Rhaenyra comes to find that her prisoner Helaena has taken her own life but left a parting gift for the queen that foreshadows a potential prophecy of Rhaenyra’s path towards madness.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of madness
Noun
  • Too much change would increase the risk of instability, particularly running through the core of the team which has already seen Tielemans and Rogers leave.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to a stern, demanding father, the boy is further plagued by a sudden physical instability, requiring an iron body brace that keeps him ramrod-straight.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Aug. 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 14 Aug. 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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