senescent
Americanadjective
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growing old; aging.
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Cell Biology. (of a cell) no longer capable of dividing but still alive and metabolically active.
adjective
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growing old
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characteristic of old age
Other Word Forms
- senescence noun
- unsenescent adjective
Etymology
Origin of senescent
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin senēscent- (stem of senēscēns ) present participle of senēscere “to grow old,” equivalent to sen- “old” + -ēscent- -escent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In earlier studies, Amor Vegas and her team engineered immune cells known as anti-uPAR CAR T cells that selectively remove senescent cells in mice, leading to major improvements in the animals' metabolism.
From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2026
As the body ages, it accumulates senescent cells, which no longer divide but also do not die off.
From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2026
"Future studies may extend the approach to applications related to senescent cells in human disease."
From Science Daily • Dec. 14, 2025
More work will be needed to find aptamers that can reliably detect senescent cells in human tissue.
From Science Daily • Dec. 14, 2025
In one thin arm, threaded with veins in a kind of senescent bas-relief, was a basket.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
