second childhood
Old age's innocence
Second childhood refers to a period late in life when an elderly person exhibits childlike behavior, whether through mental decline, playful regression, or freedom from adult responsibilities.
The phrase can be affectionate or dismissive depending on context: Grandpa's in his second childhood—he bought a sports car and takes naps whenever he wants.
It sometimes implies senility, but just as often suggests rediscovered joy or carefree living.
Lighthearted, frisky spirit
- innocenceFreedom from wrongdoing
- dependenceState of needing another
- carefreeFree from anxiety
- simplicityLack of complexity
naivety · imagination · fantasy · rebirth · renewal · rediscovery · puerility · immaturity
Growing older over time
- dementiaChronic cognitive impairment
- Alzheimer'sDegenerative brain disease
- forgetfulnessFailure to retain information
- frailtyWeakness of body
cognitive decline · elderly · mental decline · confusion · incapacity · dotage · vulnerability · memory loss
playfulness
Lighthearted, frisky spirit
- innocenceFreedom from wrongdoing
- dependenceState of needing another
- carefreeFree from anxiety
simplicity · naivety · imagination · fantasy · rebirth · renewal · rediscovery · puerility · immaturity · dotage
aging
Growing older over time
- dementiaChronic cognitive impairment
- Alzheimer'sDegenerative brain disease
- forgetfulnessFailure to retain information
frailty · cognitive decline · elderly · mental decline · confusion · incapacity · dotage · vulnerability · memory loss · disorientation
- life stagesbaby, teenager, adult, adolescence, infancy
- agingaging process, aging body, biological age, aging workforce, aging parents
- maturityadulthood, immature, come of age, ripe, unripe
- youth sayingsfountain of youth, salad days, spring chicken, tender age, young at heart
second childhoodmental acuity
Sharpness of thought
sound mind · lucidity · mental sharpness · compos mentis · sagacity
second childhoodprime of life
Period of peak vigor
heyday · vitality · golden years · salad days · vigor
second childhoodmaturity
Full growth achieved
self-reliance · independence · autonomy · competence · self-sufficiency
second, secondly, secondhand, secondary, childhood, child, childish, childlike, childless