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# senile

«senile» in Mova's school dictionary: **Weak in mind because of old age, especially forgetful or…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adjective (senile)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Weak in mind because of old age, especially forgetful or confused. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/senile/#m1)

2) (medicine, old-fashioned) Connected with old age: «senile dementia». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/senile/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

Adult life seen by a child: an elderly relative may become confused. Today doctors say «dementia» rather than «senile», and calling someone senile is unkind. Phrases: «going senile».

### examples

- Great-gran gets confused, but the doctor says it is dementia, not just being senile. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/senile/#x1)
- It is rude to call old people senile. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/senile/#x2)
- The old dog seemed a bit senile, barking at nothing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/senile/#x3)
- Some people become forgetful as they age, but many stay sharp. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/senile/#x4)
- In the story, the old king was senile and easily fooled. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/senile/#x5)

### note

Pronounced SEE-nile. Often hurtful; say «has dementia» or «forgetful». Myth: not all old people become senile; many stay clear-minded. Noun «senility».

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «senile» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/senile/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.