definitions

dotard

[ doh-terd ]
/ ˈdoʊ tərd /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dotard ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person, especially an old person, exhibiting a decline in mental faculties; a weak-minded or foolish old person.
doater2.

RELATED WORDS

wimp, tottering, faltering, floundering, trembling, coward, misfit, crybaby, baby, chicken, pushover, invertebrate, jellyfish, square, fogy, stick-in-the-mud, granny, fusspot, decrepit, infirm

Nearby words

dot-com, dot-coms, dot-matrix printer, dot-sequential, dotage, dotard, dotation, dotcom, dotcommer, dote, doth

Origin of dotard

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at dote, -ard

Related forms

do·tard·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for dotard

dotard

/ (ˈdəʊtəd) /

noun

a person who is weak-minded, esp through senility

Derived Forms

dotardly, adjective

Word Origin for dotard

C14: from dote + -ard
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