Dotage

Dotage refers to the period of life in which a person, usually elderly, becomes weak in mental faculties and is often characterized by diminished cognitive abilities and vulnerability to manipulation.

This stage is often associated with a loss of memory, comprehension, and decision-making capacity, leading to a reliance on others for care and judgment.

Dotage meaning with examples

• After years of toil and hard work, Jonathan welcomed his dotage as a time for reflection and storytelling, often recounting tales from his youth to the delight of his grandchildren.
• The elderly author's writings transformed in his dotage, becoming more whimsical and fantastical, revealing the playful spirit that had always been present but often overshadowed by his previous scholarly works.
• While her dotage has brought some memory loss, Martha still retains the wisdom accrued over a lifetime, often surprising her family with insights that seem far beyond her years.
• In his dotage, Leonard found comfort in the familiarity of routine, appreciating the small joys of daily life, from afternoon tea to quiet conversations with close friends.
• Concerns about decisions made in his dotage became the catalyst for legal discussions about guardianship, as family members weighed his declining mental state against his previously assertive personality.