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
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
Explanation
Something senescent is growing old or is elderly. Senescent things are deteriorating. Senescent and senile have something in common — the Latin root senex which means "old.” A baby or even a teenager would not be described as senescent because they're youthful and full of life. A nursing home is full of people who could be described as senescent; they’re old. "The Who" was going to sing “hope I die before I get senescent,” but it just didn’t have the same ring to it.
Vocabulary lists containing senescent
This Week In Words: August 31–September 6, 2019
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Ancient Wisdom: Synonyms for "Old"
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The Last Cuentista
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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.
They also found that the gene signature became less prominent after senescent cells were removed in preclinical experiments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
Dr. Passos served as senior author of three papers examining these mechanisms and the diversity of senescent cells:
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
The discoveries suggest that researchers may eventually be able to interfere with the processes responsible for chronic inflammation while leaving the senescent cells themselves intact.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
Identifying senescent cells reliably has long been a major obstacle for scientists studying aging.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
In one thin arm, threaded with veins in a kind of senescent bas-relief, was a basket.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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