as in senile
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in lurching
to move forward while swaying from side to side
was doddering down the walk outside the nursing home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of doddering
Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Tokarczuk presents her doddering old narrator as an essentially righteous avenger, cutting down those despoilers of the earth whom the vegetarian author abhors.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
As the doddering Gus the Theatre Cat, McKellen easily outshone his younger co-stars, who included Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2024
His Dragon capsule will retrieve astronauts stranded on the International Space Station by his doddering space competitor, Boeing, NASA announced in August.
—Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 13 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Adjective
That’s when Broadbent’s whimsical eyes take over, splitting the difference between doddering old coot and magical elf.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Tokarczuk presents her doddering old narrator as an essentially righteous avenger, cutting down those despoilers of the earth whom the vegetarian author abhors.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
As the doddering Gus the Theatre Cat, McKellen easily outshone his younger co-stars, who included Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2024
His Dragon capsule will retrieve astronauts stranded on the International Space Station by his doddering space competitor, Boeing, NASA announced in August.
—Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 13 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doddering
Adjective
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Back on the domestic front, Jeanine has reason to believe that her husband, Paul (Mark O’Brien), is having an affair with her senile mother’s caregiver.—
Michael Rechtshaffen,
The Hollywood Reporter,
9 Sep. 2023
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In one story, Earn’s seemingly routine trip to church with Gloria, Jeanie, and his senile grandfather (Bob Banks) goes pear-shaped when Gloria abruptly drives off with her dad, leaving behind Earn and a bewildered Jeanie, who has recently been their father’s caretaker.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2022
Adjective
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When an elderly man boarded an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska, his travel companion knew the journey carried special weight.—
Darlin Tillery,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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Even so, there were reports about how Biden’s age could have become a political liability even before then-special counsel Robert Hur’s reporting describing the then-president as an elderly man with a bad memory.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Barring a sudden increase in foreign aid — say, if Russia decides to ramp up its oil shipments to Cuba in response to escalating tensions with the United States over Ukraine — Cuba’s crisis could bring about unprecedented challenges to its decrepit regime.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
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The project as conceived would make a milestone for Orlando and the Parramore neighborhood, trading the disgrace of decrepit public housing for the lure of brand-new, below-market apartments primarily serving the region’s struggling families.—
Tyler Williams,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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Amid a growing prison crisis, medical and geriatric parole reforms provide a sound framework for constructing a compassionate and fiscally responsible path forward.—
Natasha Dartigue,
Baltimore Sun,
18 May 2025
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The number of medical doctors per capita nationwide decreased by 12.7% from 2010 to 2020, the study found, while the rate of geriatric nurse practitioners increased by 125%.—
Meg Cunningham,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2025
Verb
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But the $12 billion decline in his fortune has more to do with asset shuffling than stock price movement.—
Julie Goldenberg,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
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James has been shuffling back and forth between the NBA and the G League.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Craft is the connective tissue of our history, weaving itself through each iteration and enabling new players to interpret it in novel ways.—
Bill Connolly,
Rolling Stone,
30 Dec. 2024
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But police must notice a primary violation, such as speeding or weaving across lanes, to cite motorists for violating the cellphone law.—
David A. Lieb,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Wilson plays Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill ex-pro golfer whose career was derailed prematurely 20 years ago.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
31 May 2025
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Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill, ex-pro golfer whose career was derailed 20 years ago amid a scandal.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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Theresa May and her spavined colleagues would be responsible for that distrust, but life is unfair and Boris would carry the can.—
John O'Sullivan,
National Review,
9 July 2019
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The series took a chunk out of both the recklessness of the Texas state government and out of the spavined state of the EPA and OSHA even under President Obama, the latter problems having gotten worse under the current administration.—
Charles P. Pierce,
Esquire,
31 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Doddering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doddering. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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