dementia

noun

di-ˈmen(t)-shə How to pronounce dementia (audio)
Definition of dementianext
as in schizophrenia
a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life doctors were able to treat the patient's dementia with drugs and thus allow him to function on his own

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dementia Earlier this year, Sanchez-Warren visited a relative in her 80s with dementia inside a facility. — Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 5 July 2026 Social isolation is associated with significantly higher rates of heart disease, stroke and dementia and is also tied to substantial economic losses in the tens of billions of dollars globally each year. — Carrie Varoquiers, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 This is a free, online tool developed by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital to calculate your risks and take steps, through changes to daily habits, that can help decrease the risk of stroke, dementia, heart disease and cancer. — Allison Aubrey, NPR, 6 July 2026 The most common type of dementia, which destroys memory and cognitive function, was responsible for 116,022 deaths in 2024, NCHS data shows. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dementia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dementia
  1. schizophrenia
  2. insanity
  3. hysteria
  4. madness
  5. instability
Noun
  • But their loving, attentive mother soon began displaying signs of schizophrenia.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 3 July 2026
  • After Nijinsky began to show signs of schizophrenia, this mask, or persona, grew disturbed.
    — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of schizophrenia
Noun
  • Iraq, Canada, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Qatar, Saudi Arabia After accidentally cursing President Saddam Hussein on stage, theater actor Salem convinces a military court of his insanity to escape a death sentence.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 6 July 2026
  • San Francisco trailed 6-1 at the time of Webb’s departure, and given Coors Field’s penchant for insanity, a comeback wasn’t out of the question.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • And the hysteria over the centers seemed to be not as much about freedom, or competing educational philosophies, or politics at all, as about an ever-shrinking pot of money.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • From causing supernatural events to creating hysteria, our orbiting nightlight has always had legends and folktales written about it.
    — Taylor Grothe, Parents, 28 June 2026
Definition of hysteria
Noun
  • In the midst of the final stretch of World Cup madness, here are eight shows happening in Kansas City in July.
    — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
  • Either Cody or Gunther wins because Sami gets screwed; Zayn will then further descend into madness and attack someone after the bell.
    — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of madness
Noun
  • Legal trouble can bring family stress, public shame, and extended instability in the same room.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • Native architectures shrink the surface area for gaps, latency and instability.
    — Brian Stimpfl, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of instability

Browse Nearby Words

dementedness
dementia
demerit
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dementia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dementia. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dementia

Nglish: Translation of dementia for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dementia

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