What does dotard mean?
A dotard is an old person whose mental faculties have declined — someone weak-minded, foolish, or senile as a result of advanced age. The word is always pejorative: calling someone a dotard is an insult that mocks both their age and their supposed loss of judgment. It derives from "dotage," meaning the period of late life marked by mental decline, which itself comes from the Middle English verb "dote." Though the term had grown somewhat literary and old-fashioned, it returned to common use in recent years, notably trending worldwide in 2017 when it was deployed as a public insult between political leaders. Writers reach for it when they want a word sharper than simply "old person" — one implying that age has eroded competence or sense. Because of its contemptuous tone, it is best reserved for rhetorical or humorous effect rather than neutral description of the elderly.
nounAn old person, especially one who has become weak or senile; a person in their dotage whose mental faculties have declined with age.
- An old person who has become weak, foolish, or senile.
"The court was run by a handful of dotards who could no longer grasp the world they governed."
"The council was dominated by dotards who resisted every attempt at reform."
"In Shakespeare's plays, old kings are often portrayed as dotards, stripped of judgment by age."
Regular plural; countable noun.
"The revolution swept aside the dotards of the old regime."
"Dotard" comes from "dotage" — and it shot back into headlines in 2017 when it trended worldwide after being used as an insult in a diplomatic spat.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dotard
"Dotard" comes from "dotage," meaning the state of mental decline associated with old age, formed from the Middle English verb "dote" (to be feeble-minded or infatuated), likely of Germanic origin. The noun has been used since Middle English times for a person in their dotage. Its cognate family is small but includes "dote" and "dotage" themselves.
How dotard is actually used
Derogatory and disrespectful; used to mock elderly people rather than neutrally describe them. Somewhat literary or dated in tone, but revived in recent years as a pointed political insult.
Easily confused with dotard
"Doddard" is not a standard English word; the correct spelling is "dotard," from "dotage."
"Dotted" is the past tense of "dot" (to mark with spots), whereas "dotard" is a noun for an aged, feeble-minded person.