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Glite Dictionary
doddering

doddering

1 8.2
Weak and unsteady because of old age, often moving slowly
  • adjective
  • /ˈdɒdərɪŋ/
translation icon : tembloroso
  • The doddering old man struggled to keep his balance as he walked down the street.
  • doddering old

Examples

  • They have adoring wives who do all their dirty work, and the rest of us are whiners... and the very same doddering old men in the Senate use that.

    Blog text (14)

  • And he, Mandela had kept them secret because he thought if they failed, people could denounce him as a doddering old man and it wouldn't damage the AN CS course.

  • Doddering, toothless, liver-spotted, hallucinating.

    White Noise (2022)

  • After years of neglect, the doddering dog could barely stand without help.

  • The doddering gentleman needed assistance to navigate the steps of the train station.

Synonyms

decrepit
vsdoddering
9 7.0

A living thing that is very weak and thin from old age or long illness

focuses on weak and unsteady condition rather than general wear
doddery
vsdoddering
8.9

Being weak, unsteady, or slow in thinking because of old age

is the standard or more formal form of the same meaning
tottering
vsdoddering
6.0

Unsteady and moving because of weakness or old age

is broader, meaning general weakness and decline not only movement

Antonyms

vibrant
81 4.1

Full of energy and activity that makes people feel excited

How Frail

decrepit
9 7.0
doddering
1 8.2
weak
524 1.0
unsteady
16 3.3

Surface Forms

doddering positive

Morphology

doddering = dodder (transparent) = dodder + ing

Standard adjectival/participial formation from the verb 'dodder' (tremble) using '-ing', so the meaning is directly inferable.

Etymology

Doddering comes from the old verb dodder, which meant 'to tremble' or 'to totter', to move unsteadily. So a 'doddering' person moves weakly and unsteadily, often because they are old.