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
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
The sky broken by the bare oaks and elms of New Prospect was full of moist promise, a pair of frontal systems grayly colluding to deliver a white Christmas, when Russ Hildebrandt made his morning rounds among the homes of bedridden and senile parishioners in his Plymouth Fury wagon.
—Wyatt Mason, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for senile
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
The sky broken by the bare oaks and elms of New Prospect was full of moist promise, a pair of frontal systems grayly colluding to deliver a white Christmas, when Russ Hildebrandt made his morning rounds among the homes of bedridden and senile parishioners in his Plymouth Fury wagon.
—Wyatt Mason, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for senile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for senile
Adjective
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Hollywood legend Cary Grant goes full-on slapstick as a man who discovers his sweet elderly aunts are actually serial killers.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
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This proposes altering the state constitution to increase the property tax exemption for homesteads owned by elderly or disabled individuals from $10,000 to $60,000 of the market value.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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About 1,300 people from around the world -- ranging from children as young as 12 years old to elite athletes -- participated in the race.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Oct. 2025
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The last one – the last out of a game, say, or the last victory in a playoff series – is considered the hardest one to achieve, if old adages and the like are to be believed.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In a Commonwealth Athletic Conference match, Shawsheen Tech bested Innovation Academy, 3-0, as senior Francesca Reardon earned seven kills and four aces.—
Kristina Banahan,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
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The senior scored on touchdown runs of 75 and 7 yards to open the scoring in the third quarter.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Senile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/senile. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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