Dictionary.com

anile

[ an-ahyl, ey-nahyl ]
/ ˈæn aɪl, ˈeɪ naɪl /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: anile / anility on Thesaurus.com
adjective
of or like a foolish, doddering old woman.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of anile

1645–55; <Latin anīlis pertaining to an old woman, equivalent to an(us) old woman + -īlis-ile

OTHER WORDS FROM anile

a·nil·i·ty [uh-nil-i-tee], /əˈnɪl ɪ ti/, noun

Words nearby anile

aniconic, aniconism, anigh, Anik, anil, anile, anilide, aniline, aniline black, aniline dye, aniline hydrochloride
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to anile

battered, broken-down, creaky, crippled, dilapidated, feeble, flimsy, frail, infirm, ramshackle, rickety, run down, seedy, shabby, ailing, anemic, decrepit, ill, insecure, unstable

How to use anile in a sentence

  • Locke was now far too eminent a man to be troubled by so anile a demonstration of folly.

    Locke|Thomas Fowler

  • He is evidently childish, and breaks now and then into an anile laugh at the thought, no doubt, of some dead old pot-house jest.

    Nancy|Rhoda Broughton

  • Our babbling, anile friend, in the very looseness of her prating has let out the truth.

    Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 1, October 2, 1841|Various

British Dictionary definitions for anile

anile
/ (ˈænaɪl, ˈeɪnaɪl) /
adjective
of or like a feeble old woman

Derived forms of anile

anility (əˈnɪlɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for anile

C17: from Latin anīlis, from anus old woman
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK