dotage
An elderly man in his dotage often forgets where he placed his reading glasses.
Noun: 1. The state of mental decline associated with old age: A condition characterized by a weakening of mental faculties, often manifesting as forgetfulness, confusion, or impaired judgment, typically in advanced age. 2. Foolish or excessive affection or infatuation: Often used to describe the foolishly indulgent or overly sentimental behavior sometimes exhibited by elderly individuals, especially in the context of love or fondness.
Dotage is a formal and somewhat literary term. It specifically refers to the period of life marked by the mental weakness of old age. It is often used in phrases like "in one's dotage" to describe someone experiencing this state. - The term carries a connotation of pity or gentle criticism, describing a loss of one's former mental sharpness. - It is a noun and is non-countable; you do not typically say "a dotage" but rather refer to the state of being in dotage.
- The once-great king, now in his dotage, was easily influenced by his scheming advisors.
- Her sharp wit had faded into a gentle, sometimes confused, dotage.
- He was not just old; he was sinking into dotage, forgetting the names of his closest friends.
- The novel portrays the character's dotage with both sadness and tenderness.
- To be in one's dotage: This is the most common construction, meaning to be in the period of life characterized by senility.
- The renowned scientist, though in his dotage, was still occasionally visited by flashes of his former brilliance.
- Dotage can sometimes be used more broadly to imply a period of foolish fondness or excessive sentimentality, not strictly tied to age, though this is less common.
- His dotage on his vintage car collection bordered on the obsessive.
- Dote (verb): To be excessively fond of or centered on someone or something. This verb is related and often describes the behavior associated with being in a state of dotage.
- She dotes on her grandchildren, spoiling them with gifts.
- Senility (noun): A more clinical synonym for the mental infirmity of old age.
- Second childhood (noun, idiomatic): A less formal, sometimes euphemistic term for a state resembling dotage.
- Senility: The physical and mental decline associated with old age.
- Caducity: A formal term for the infirmity of old age.
- Decline: A general term for deterioration, which can be used in this context.
- Feebleness: Weakness, often applied to mental or physical state in old age.
- Vitality: Energy and strength, especially of mind.
- Acuity: Sharpness of thought, vision, or hearing.
- Prime: The period of a person's life when they are at their peak condition.
- In one's dotage: The standard idiom for experiencing this state of aged mental decline.
- Many of the decisions made by the company were attributed to its founder acting in his dotage.
- Dote on/upon someone: While not an idiom with itself, this related phrasal verb describes the behavior characteristic of dotage.
- In his later years, he would dote upon his old dog, treating it like his only companion.
An elderly man in his dotage often forgets where he placed his reading glasses.
- mental infirmity as a consequence of old age; sometimes shown by foolish infatuations