as in senile
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in lurching
to move forward while swaying from side to side
was doddering down the walk outside the nursing home
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 doddering
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2025
The trio find work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 21 July 2025
The secondary villain is a doddering, power-hungry elderly man with an unruly mop of hair and a flock of advisors who constantly shower him with unearned praise.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 9 July 2025
Krapp emerges onstage, coughing and doddering, into a dusty study and sits down at a desk to rehearse an annual ritual: recording a monologue on a chunky, reel-to-reel tape recorder.
—Houman Barekat, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Adjective
Sure, this doddering middle-aged version of Ozzy Osbourne was every bit as much a persona as the earlier guy.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2025
The trio find work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 21 July 2025
The secondary villain is a doddering, power-hungry elderly man with an unruly mop of hair and a flock of advisors who constantly shower him with unearned praise.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 9 July 2025
Krapp emerges onstage, coughing and doddering, into a dusty study and sits down at a desk to rehearse an annual ritual: recording a monologue on a chunky, reel-to-reel tape recorder.
—Houman Barekat, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doddering
Adjective
-
They are being given directions by a senile old man who is losing his mind.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
His older brother, played by Paul Wesley, has died under mysterious circumstances, forcing Ethan to return home to contend with that grief, with the stark fact of his senile mother, and with the resentments of former friends who view his departure as a betrayal.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
These are some of the heaviest grooves that Seefeel have created in ages, channeling lurching currents through intricate chains of dub delay.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
-
The ladies haven’t had that problem, lurching out of the gate like the racehorses at Ascot.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Severe weather caused the death of an elderly man when a tree fell on him Saturday night in a New York City park.—
Noelle Lilley,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
-
Picard approached an elderly couple who rented the place as an escape from the summer heat of the French capital and asked if the 552nd could use the land.—
Kevin Maurer,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hands and small heads.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hand and small heads.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Blaine's decrepit skeleton is lying on top of Sam, confirming that The Boroughs' founder has been eliminated for good.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
-
This hypochlorous acid spray is pretty much the only remedy—a few spritzes after a flight or during a long travel day revive my decrepit skin.—
Abbey Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
In an accompanying cartoon, Spark is caricatured as a sulking giant, tottering above the Tuscan countryside in a pair of high heels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
As with the child, so with the geriatric adult.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
-
Wars are mostly fought by young people, but today, and increasingly, geriatric machines participate in the wild blue yonder.—
George F. Will,
Washington Post,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Having gone into hiding, Walt ultimately manages to make some things right before shuffling off the mortal coil.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
-
The move comes one year after the team promoted Saleh to general manager after another round of shuffling in its front office.—
Lauren Williams,
AJC.com,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Doddering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doddering. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
