senile
adjective
se·nile
| \ ˈsē-ˌnī(-ə)l also ˈse-
\
\
Definition of senile
1
: of, relating to, exhibiting, or characteristic of old age
senile weakness
especially
: exhibiting a loss of cognitive abilities (such as memory) associated with old age
2
: approaching the end of a geological cycle of erosion
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Other Words from senile
senilely
\ ˈsē-ˌnī(-ə)l-lē
also ˈse- \
adverb
also ˈse- \
adverb
Examples of senile in a Sentence
Every time I got a government job, I always felt obligated to tell the authorities that I had this mother who had probably been a Communist. It was an annoying piece of baggage. Then eventually she became senile and forgot about politics and actually became very benign.
— Larissa MacFarquhar, New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2001
There appears to be little common ground between those who see the paintings [Willem de Kooning's late works] in question as a sublime achievement, a late style comparable to the cut-paper masterpieces of the aging Matisse, and those who describe them as the senile doodlings of a once great artist whose reputation is being damaged for the sake of commercial exploitation.
— Calvin Tomkins, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 1997
Franco himself, during the final months of his life, had become a senile, quaking octogenarian.
— John A. Crow, Spain: The Root and the Flower, (1963) 1985
a senile man in his eighties
Her mother is becoming senile.
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Recent Examples on the Web
The cause was senile degeneration of the brain, said a son, Peter Siebentritt. — Benjamin Gordon, Washington Post, "Community deaths," 25 Aug. 2019 At the end of the episode, Mrs. Walker finally tells her racist, senile father that Bryce is dead. — Kaitlin Reilly, refinery29.com, "R29 Binge Club: 13 Reasons Why Season 3 Recap," 24 Aug. 2019 In the present time, Mrs. Walker finally tells her senile father that his grandson is dead. — Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, "13 Reasons Why season 3 binge recap," 23 Aug. 2019 Her father, Zhang Jun, was working in a northern Chinese city hundreds of miles away at the time and stated the couple deceived Zixin’s senile farmer grandparents into letting them take her away. — Fox News, "Chinese girl, 9, whose disappearance gripped country, found dead after week-long search," 17 July 2019 One day, a couple (played by Jillian Bell and Michaela Watkins) walk in with a sword that one of the women inherited from her senile grandfather. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "“Everybody can be a sucker”: Marc Maron and Lynn Shelton on how conspiracy theories flourish," 17 July 2019 Iacocca had to overcome the doubts of Chairman Henry Ford II, grandson of the auto pioneer, who had taken over the company's reins from his senile grandfather during World War II. — Donald Woutat, latimes.com, "Lee Iacocca, father of the Ford Mustang who later rescued Chrysler, dies at 94," 2 July 2019 The game is highly anticipated after the recent war of words between Mourinho and Antonio Conte, which saw the Blues boss label his counterpart 'senile'. — SI.com, "No Love Lost: Jose Mourinho Fires Shots at Chelsea by Insisting They're 'Not Special Anymore'," 25 Feb. 2018 Conte has called Mourinho 'senile' and a 'little man'. — SI.com, "PHOTOS: Man Utd Boss Jose Mourinho Pranked into Signing Conte Shirt by Italian Reporters," 18 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'senile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for senile
senile
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of senile
: showing a loss of mental ability (such as memory) in old age
See the full definition for senile in the English Language Learners Dictionary
senile
adjective
se·nile
| \ ˈsēn-ˌīl also ˈsen-\
Medical Definition of senile
1
: of, relating to, exhibiting, or characteristic of old age
senile weakness
especially
: exhibiting a loss of cognitive abilities (as memory) associated with old age
2
: being a cell that cannot undergo mitosis and is in the stage of declining functional capacities prior to the time of death
senile red blood cells
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