as in senile
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as in lurching
to move forward while swaying from side to side
was doddering down the walk outside the nursing home
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of doddering
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2024
That’s when Broadbent’s whimsical eyes take over, splitting the difference between doddering old coot and magical elf.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Tokarczuk presents her doddering old narrator as an essentially righteous avenger, cutting down those despoilers of the earth whom the vegetarian author abhors.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
As the doddering Gus the Theatre Cat, McKellen easily outshone his younger co-stars, who included Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Adjective
Once upon a time, a doddering old man spoke of a dream about a united city in this empire’s capital, where every man, woman, and child could walk its streets and live a good life regardless of their patrician or plebeian birthright.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2024
That’s when Broadbent’s whimsical eyes take over, splitting the difference between doddering old coot and magical elf.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Tokarczuk presents her doddering old narrator as an essentially righteous avenger, cutting down those despoilers of the earth whom the vegetarian author abhors.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
As the doddering Gus the Theatre Cat, McKellen easily outshone his younger co-stars, who included Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doddering
Adjective
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Back on the domestic front, Jeanine has reason to believe that her husband, Paul (Mark O’Brien), is having an affair with her senile mother’s caregiver.—
Michael Rechtshaffen,
The Hollywood Reporter,
9 Sep. 2023
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In one story, Earn’s seemingly routine trip to church with Gloria, Jeanie, and his senile grandfather (Bob Banks) goes pear-shaped when Gloria abruptly drives off with her dad, leaving behind Earn and a bewildered Jeanie, who has recently been their father’s caretaker.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2022
Adjective
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Check in on people without air conditioning, as well as any elderly relatives and neighbors.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
22 June 2025
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Seven others were injured, including a 17-year-old and an elderly woman.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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Patel didn’t say much about the plans to move the FBI headquarters, something prior FBI directors and Congress acknowledged needed to be done because of the decrepit condition of the building.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
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Barring a sudden increase in foreign aid — say, if Russia decides to ramp up its oil shipments to Cuba in response to escalating tensions with the United States over Ukraine — Cuba’s crisis could bring about unprecedented challenges to its decrepit regime.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Looking at the macro forces, aging population and chronic diseases significantly increase demand for geriatric specialists, home healthcare workers and chronic disease management professionals.—
Kunal Khashu,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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The same goes for Kasper (Kim Bodnia), the Danish group principal, and Kate (Kerry Condon), the Irish technical director, neither of whom trust this geriatric newbie to pull off a miracle.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2025
Verb
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But the $12 billion decline in his fortune has more to do with asset shuffling than stock price movement.—
Julie Goldenberg,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
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James has been shuffling back and forth between the NBA and the G League.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Craft is the connective tissue of our history, weaving itself through each iteration and enabling new players to interpret it in novel ways.—
Bill Connolly,
Rolling Stone,
30 Dec. 2024
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But police must notice a primary violation, such as speeding or weaving across lanes, to cite motorists for violating the cellphone law.—
David A. Lieb,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Wilson plays Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill ex-pro golfer whose career was derailed prematurely 20 years ago.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
31 May 2025
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Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill, ex-pro golfer whose career was derailed 20 years ago amid a scandal.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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Theresa May and her spavined colleagues would be responsible for that distrust, but life is unfair and Boris would carry the can.—
John O'Sullivan,
National Review,
9 July 2019
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The series took a chunk out of both the recklessness of the Texas state government and out of the spavined state of the EPA and OSHA even under President Obama, the latter problems having gotten worse under the current administration.—
Charles P. Pierce,
Esquire,
31 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Doddering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doddering. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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