doddery
Unsteady with age
Doddery describes someone, usually elderly, who moves unsteadily or seems mentally feeble—trembling, shuffling, or confused.
The word suggests fragility from age: a doddery old man fumbling with his keys.
Chiefly British.
The related verb dodder means to move or act in this trembling, uncertain way.
Advanced in age
- senileMentally impaired by age
- ancientVery old indeed
- oldExisting many years
- geriatricRelating to elderly care
venerable · senior · octogenarian · nonagenarian · pensioner · aging · superannuated · long-lived
elderly
Advanced in age
geriatric · venerable · senior · octogenarian · nonagenarian · pensioner · aging · superannuated · long-lived · grizzled
tottering
Moving unsteadily, nearly falling
- wobblingMoving unsteadily, wavering
- shakyTrembling or unstable
- teeteringUnstably balanced, nearly falling
staggering · faltering · stumbling · swaying · lurching · trembling · shuffling · quivering · wavering · unstable
feeble
Weak and ineffective
delicate · enfeebled · debilitated · decrepit · sickly · withered · brittle · vulnerable · failing · wasting