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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar 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 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
-
An elderly woman was in the back seat of the car in front of me.—
Ariel Saramandi,
The Dial,
29 July 2025
-
For instance, if a drug is only available as a pill but an elderly patient can't swallow one, a doctor could write a prescription so that a compounding pharmacist could prepare it in liquid form.—
Sydney Lupkin,
NPR,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
The committee is seeking old photographs and historical information about Pea Ridge and the years before there was a newspaper.—
Annette Beard,
Arkansas Online,
24 July 2025
-
Delaying tree harvests and protecting older forests enhances carbon sequestration, making untouched forests vital for reducing carbon dioxide and combating climate change.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
The idea is to place officers in certain neighborhoods and inside senior buildings.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
27 July 2025
-
Hubbard, a 30-year-old husband and father living in Dallas, Texas, grew his TikTok account to close to 1 million followers by posting daily videos about the mundane routine of his nine-to-five day job as a senior analyst for a Fortune 500 company.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
26 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Senile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/senile. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share