Definition

Noun: - A state of mental decline or childish behavior associated with old age, often characterized by a loss of mature judgment and sometimes by foolish or doting actions.

Usage

• The term "second childhood" is used to describe a perceived regression in an elderly person's mental faculties, where they may exhibit behaviors considered childlike, such as simplicity, dependency, or infatuation with trivial things.
• It is a somewhat dated and potentially insensitive term. More modern and clinical terms like "senility" or "age-related cognitive decline" are often preferred.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• The concept is sometimes used metaphorically outside of aging to describe any adult who acts with childish irresponsibility, though this is less common.
  • His reckless spending spree was like a second childhood.

Variants and Related Words

• Dotage (n): The period of life in which a person is old and weak, often with declining mental faculties.
• Senility (n): The condition of being senile; physical and mental decline associated with old age.

Synonyms

• Dotage
• Senility
• Anility (specifically for women)

Related Idioms

• In one's dotage: An idiom meaning in a state of feeble old age.
  • The stories he told in his dotage were often confused and repetitive.

Noun

1. mental infirmity as a consequence of old age; sometimes shown by foolish infatuations