senility

S1E1N1I1L1I1T1Y4
/səˈnɪlɪti/

noun

The bodily and mental deterioration associated with old age: Synonym of senescence.

“Near-synonym: second childhood”

Similar
second childhooddotage
Opposite
juvenescencejuvenilityjuvenile
UncommonScrabble 11
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounsenility (countable and uncountable, plural senilities)

plural senilities · alternative sinility

  1. uncountableThe bodily and mental deterioration associated with old age: Synonym of senescence.

    Near-synonym: second childhood

    Synonyms: second childhood · Antonyms: juvenescence, juvenility

  2. uncountableThe losing of memory and reason due to senescence.

    He was entering his years of senility and not liking it a bit.

    Antonyms: juvenility

  3. archaiccountableAn elderly, senile person.

    There was no need for George Playford to talk as if they were doddering senilities.

    1934 May, Hearst's International combined with Cosmopolitan, page 117

    Antonyms: juvenile

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe bodily and mental deterioration associated with old age: Synonym of senescence.

Similar
second childhood
Opposite
juvenescencejuvenility

nounThe losing of memory and reason due to senescence.

Opposite
juvenility

nounAn elderly, senile person.

Opposite
juvenile

More synonyms by meaning

nounmental infirmity as a consequence of old age; sometimes shown by foolish infatuations

Similar
dotagesecond childhood
Broader
old ageyearsage
Also see
agedotagesecond childhood

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From senile + -ity.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian сенилност, изкуфялост
  • сенилност (senilnost)the losing of memory and reason
  • изкуфялост (izkufjalost)the losing of memory and reason
  • старец (starec)an elderly, senile person
Catalan senilitat
  • senilitatthe losing of memory and reason
Chinese 痴呆
  • 痴呆 (chidai)the losing of memory and reason
Dutch seniliteit
  • seniliteitthe losing of memory and reason
Finnish vanhuudenhöperyys, seniiliys
  • vanhuudenhöperyysthe losing of memory and reason
  • seniiliysthe losing of memory and reason
French sénilité
  • sénilitéthe losing of memory and reason
German Senilität
  • Senilitätthe losing of memory and reason
Greek γεροντική άνοια
  • γεροντική άνοια (gerontikí ánoia)the losing of memory and reason
Italian senilità
  • senilitàthe losing of memory and reason
Japanese 耄碌
  • 耄碌 (mōroku)the losing of memory and reason
Polish starczość
  • starczośćthe losing of memory and reason
Portuguese senilidade
  • senilidadethe losing of memory and reason
Romanian senilitate
  • senilitatethe losing of memory and reason
Russian ста́рость, дря́хлость
  • ста́рость (stárostʹ)the losing of memory and reason
  • дря́хлость (drjáxlostʹ)the losing of memory and reason
Spanish senilidad
  • senilidadthe losing of memory and reason
Swedish senilitet
  • senilitetthe losing of memory and reason

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with senility

abilityfacilityutilitydisabilitypossibilitystabilitycapabilityprobabilityflexibilitycompatibilityvulnerabilityfertilityinstabilityagilityversatilityhostilityhumilitysensibilitynobilityimpossibilityfutilitymanageabilityfragilityvirility
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

senility. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/senility

MLA

“senility.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/senility. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “senility,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/senility.

Source: senility on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.