SENILE Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

senile

adjective

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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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 senile 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 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 Why do humans develop senile ovaries by age 30? —

Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 20 Aug. 2022 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

The New York Times reported in December 2024 that at least one staff member warned against hiring Nguyen, citing his criminal history involving financial exploitation of an elderly couple.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles police are searching for the driver of a black Dodge Durango that fatally struck an elderly woman crossing a street in Pacoima on Friday night and fled the scene.

— Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026