老おいぼれる

お

い

ぼ

れ

る

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

become decrepit; become senile

Describes an elderly person becoming physically and/or mentally frail with age. Often carries a negative or pitiful nuance.

祖そ父ふは最さい近きんすっかり老おいぼれてしまった。
My grandfather has become completely decrepit recently.
老おいぼれるのが怖こわいと言いう人ひともいる

。

Some people say they are afraid of becoming senile.

Written forms

老おいぼれるUsage56%
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
おいぼれるUsage39%
老おい耄ぼれるUsage3%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; the second kanji is uncommon.
老耄おいぼれるUsage3%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not normally used in modern writing.

Kanji

老old man, old age, grow old
耄senility

Similar words

老ふける
老ける means 'to age' or 'to look old', focusing on appearance or general aging, while 老いぼれる emphasizes a decline into decrepitude or senility.
ぼける
ぼける means 'to become senile' or 'to go gaga', often used for mental decline, while 老いぼれる covers both physical and mental deterioration due to old age.

Etymology

Compound of 老い (oi, 'old age') and ぼれる (boreru, 'to become senile/decrepit'). The second element is likely related to 惚れる (horeru, 'to be infatuated') or ぼける (bokeru, 'to become senile'), but the exact derivation is uncertain.