senior moment
4
7.7
- noun
- /ˈsiː.njər ˈmoʊ.mənt/
- Informal
- It's common for older adults to have a senior moment and misplace their keys.
- have senior moments
- just a senior moment
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Watch on YouTubeBecause, you know, she'd already tweeted something about it and then deleted it and called it a a senior moment.
- Because, you know, she'd already tweeted something about it and then deleted it and called it a a senior moment.
Examples
-
An ongoing senior moment...
Blog text (32) -
I had a senior moment and forgot where I put my glasses.
-
Are you having a senior moment?
-
Sorry, I just had a senior moment.
Blog text (11) -
Darn, I hate this senior moment thing.
Blog text (20) -
I just caught you in a senior moment there, Marley.
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It was one of those senior moments.
Fiction book (2000) -
I think you're having a senior moment, here, Kate.
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Re-reading blogs and comments is my way of dealing with senior moments.
Blog text (11) -
During the meeting, he experienced a senior moment and couldn't remember the project name.
Synonyms
1
8.9
A short time when someone forgets something or acts silly
A short time when someone does something silly or forgetful
Antonyms
How Forgetful
- Specialized
90
6.7
46
3.4
- Informal
4
7.7
66
4.9
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'senior' (an older person) and 'moment' (a short interval) transparently suggest a short time associated with being elderly, so learners can infer a temporary event related to age. However, the conventionalized nuance — specifically a brief lapse of memory or momentary confusion used humorously as a euphemism — is a pragmatic/idiomatic extension that may not be fully predictable without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Senior moment paints a simple picture: an older person (a senior) having a short pause or blank (a moment) and forgetting something for a little time. That's why it now means 'a short time when someone, often older, forgets something or becomes confused'.