as in senile
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Dissimilar Words
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
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2025
The trio find work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 21 July 2025
The secondary villain is a doddering, power-hungry elderly man with an unruly mop of hair and a flock of advisors who constantly shower him with unearned praise.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 9 July 2025
Does the diagnosis explain Biden’s occasionally doddering affect?
—Adam B. Kushner, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Adjective
Sure, this doddering middle-aged version of Ozzy Osbourne was every bit as much a persona as the earlier guy.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2025
The trio find work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 21 July 2025
The secondary villain is a doddering, power-hungry elderly man with an unruly mop of hair and a flock of advisors who constantly shower him with unearned praise.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 9 July 2025
Does the diagnosis explain Biden’s occasionally doddering affect?
—Adam B. Kushner, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doddering
Adjective
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They are being given directions by a senile old man who is losing his mind.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
His older brother, played by Paul Wesley, has died under mysterious circumstances, forcing Ethan to return home to contend with that grief, with the stark fact of his senile mother, and with the resentments of former friends who view his departure as a betrayal.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Another neighbor recalled an elevator lurching between floors.—
Elle McLogan,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile the Caliente Range — those mountains just to the west — are lurching the opposite way.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That first night, Andrej’s roommates were a man in a coma and an elderly French woman in a diaper and boots (no pants), who marched around her bed singing like a chanteuse.—
Elisabeth Rosenthal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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The entire neighborhood, which includes Afghan immigrant Rahim (Elham Ehsas) and his elderly parents, has been evacuated to nearby Hyde Park, and the cops, led by the efficient but slightly overwhelmed Chief Superintendent Zuzana (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), have set up a security cordon.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The bill, which passed with bipartisan support, addressed concerns about giving one party too much power by staggering the new authorizations out over a 0-year period.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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The Powell-Herro partnership also was never able to consistently produce positive results, as the Heat was left staggering their minutes by the end of the season.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Trees grew on the roof of the Polissya Hotel, which once housed nuclear scientists; at the Palace of Culture Energetik in the city’s center, frozen rain collected inside of a decrepit swimming pool.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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Beyond the decrepit hydro plant, the entire dam's spillway is too small to pass a probable maximum flood and upgrades could cost millions.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Models are tottering on the cobblestoned Bond Street with their heels getting stuck in the rivets.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That Derby was won by War Emblem, a small-boned speedball who stole the race on the front end after having been sold by his geriatric owner to Saudi Arabian Prince Ahmed bin Salman for $900,000 three weeks before.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
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Advances in veterinary geriatric care, evolving approaches to animal welfare in captivity and growing public interest in longevity science across species are all part of the picture.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There was major line shuffling overall by Cooper on this night, not just Kucherov, but tweaks to three lines, which ended up looking a little different than what was shown in pregame warmup.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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YoshimiO, sharing fellow ’90s icon Flea’s recent interest in the instrument, turns in a credible trumpet line during the track’s shuffling, exuberant second half.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Doddering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doddering. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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