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
The kids can’t spell and the world leaders are senile.
—
Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
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
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
See All Example Sentences for senile
Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
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
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
See All Example Sentences for senile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for senile
Adjective
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French worked with overseas telemarketing call centers to pressure elderly Americans to provide personal information and agree to unnecessary orthotic braces, according to the Justice Department.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
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Karelina had traveled to Russia to visit her elderly grandparents, while Kurmasheva returned to support her ailing mother.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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Senior second baseman Alexis Richter has learned a lot about playing softball from her three older sisters.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The 73-year-old Weinstein kept his eyes trained on Mann throughout her Tuesday testimony, intermittently whispering to his attorney, Teny Geragos.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The woman who died, Smith-Gray, was a high school senior looking forward to walking the stage at graduation, her family said on a fundraising page for her funeral expenses.—
Hannah Schoenbaum,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Dooley last coached in 2023 as a senior offensive analyst at Alabama, again working on a staff led by Saban.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Senile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/senile. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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