as in elderly
showing a loss of mental ability (such as memory) in old age
a senile man in his eighties Her mother is becoming senile.
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Recent Examples of senile
Don Quixote himself is too often a senile dodderer; Daniel Rubin was creaky in body but youthfully quixotic in spirit.
—
Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023
But Benjamin Smith, a professor of Latin American history at the University of Warwick in Britain, said the tweet could further fuel ongoing rumors that López Obrador, 69, is senile or otherwise unfit to govern.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2023
In the Kremlin’s propaganda, Biden is now invariably portrayed as senile, sleepy and out of touch.
—David E. Sanger, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Feb. 2023
Trump regularly claimed during the 2020 campaign that Biden was senile.
—Dallas News, 9 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for senile
Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023
But Benjamin Smith, a professor of Latin American history at the University of Warwick in Britain, said the tweet could further fuel ongoing rumors that López Obrador, 69, is senile or otherwise unfit to govern.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2023
In the Kremlin’s propaganda, Biden is now invariably portrayed as senile, sleepy and out of touch.
—David E. Sanger, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Feb. 2023
Trump regularly claimed during the 2020 campaign that Biden was senile.
—Dallas News, 9 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for senile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for senile
Adjective
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The Low Income Energy Assistance Program provides a one-time payment to households with disabled or elderly people to help cover heating costs, according to the NCDHHS website.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Aug. 2025
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The proportion of elderly is too high – accounting for nearly 30% of the entire population, according to the new data – while the proportion of younger adults, of child-bearing and working age, is continually shrinking.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The fast-growing turbine business accounts for two-thirds of his net worth of $2 billion, with the rest mostly from a stake in the legacy company Triveni Engineering & Industries, which Sawhney’s older brother, Tarun, 51, runs as vice chairman and managing director.—
Anu Raghunathan,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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Successive administrations let the old broadcast arms of American government abroad — Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia — slide into well-meaning obsolescence.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Think Only Murders in the Building, only set in a British retirement home, as the comic crime caper based on the book by Richard Osman introduces senior crime busters not content to just play bridge or engage in idle gossip for leisure.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Aug. 2025
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The order calls for the Labor Department and Securities and Exchange Commission to issue guidance to employers about providing access to those alternative investments in their retirement accounts, according to a senior White House official.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Senile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/senile. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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