dotard
do·tard/ˈdoʊ.tɚd/obsolete
dotard is spelled D-O-T-A-R-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables (do·tard). It appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 113,022nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dotard means “An old person with impaired intellect; a senile person; one in their dotage” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dotard is dotards.
How many letters and syllables are in dotard?
| Letters | 6: D-O-T-A-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: do·tard |
| In writing | about once in every 14 million words; the 113,022nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is dotard?
Dotard appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 113,022nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dotard?
- UK /ˈdəʊ.təd/
- UK /ˈdəʊ.tɑːd/
- US /ˈdoʊ.tɚd/
Dotard has 2 syllables, split do·tard in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-dotard.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What does dotard mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
archaicAn old person with impaired intellect; a senile person; one in their dotage.
- 2
obsoleteOne who dotes on another, showing excessive fondness; a doter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dotard in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense old person with impaired intellect:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dotard come from?
From Middle English dotard; equivalent to dote + -ard.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).