dementia

[dih-men-shuh, -shee-uh]

noun

1. a condition characterized by progressive, persistent, severe impairment of intellectual capacity, including memory loss, confusion, and emotional instability, resulting from the loss of or damage to neurons in the brain.

dementia

/ -ʃɪə, dɪˈmɛnʃə /

noun

1. a state of serious emotional and mental deterioration, of organic or functional origin

dementia

1. Deterioration of intellectual faculties, such as memory, concentration, and judgment, sometimes accompanied by emotional disturbance and personality changes. Dementia is caused by organic damage to the brain (as in Alzheimer's disease), head trauma, metabolic disorders, or the presence of a tumor.

Other Word Forms

• demential adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dementia¹

First recorded in 1800–10; from Latin dēmentia “madness,” equivalent to dēment- “out of one's mind” ( dement ) + -ia noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of dementia¹

C19: from Latin: madness; see _dement

Example Sentences

He sounded exactly like an elderly person struggling to hide dementia, but unfortunately, that’s indistinguishable from his lifelong personality as an incurious person BSing his way through life.

From Salon

Jonathan Pryce plays Elizabeth’s husband, Stephen, no longer in the early stages of dementia, and his scenes with Elizabeth and Bogdnan, who becomes a chess partner, are handled beautifully, with an absence of corn.

From Los Angeles Times

Deputies believe Crosby, who has dementia, left the home on foot with Poncho, her tan Chihuahua mix, according to the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office.

From Los Angeles Times

The Willis family revealed in 2023 that the star had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, which, according to the NHS website, is "an uncommon type of dementia that causes problems with behaviour and language."

From BBC

They were all fans of Outlander, which they had watched together while caring for their late father David while he suffered with dementia.

From BBC

Related Words

• brain damage 
• mental disorder