démence
/de.mɑ̃s/feminine
Dementia in French is démence.
démence is the standard and universally accepted term for a progressive decline in cognitive function. To describe the specific symptoms of this condition, you can use la perte de mémoire progressive (progressive memory loss) or la détérioration cognitive (cognitive decline).
Meaning: progressive decline in cognitive function (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
démence is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/de.mɑ̃s/
Did you know?
- A French speaker might use the expression perdre la tête (to lose one's head) as a common, slightly more colloquial way to describe someone experiencing the confusion associated with cognitive decline.
- In legal contexts in France, a person might be described as being under a regime of tutelle or curatelle due to cognitive decline, rather than using the word démence itself.
- The word démence shares the same Latin root as the English word 'demented', which in modern English often carries a heavy social stigma or implies madness.
Examples in context
- Jonas souffre de la démence.Jonas has dementia.This sentence shows how to say someone suffers from dementia using démence.Tatoeba #12480490 by always, translation #11635081 by Amastan
- Gustave souffrait de la démence.Gustavo had dementia.This sentence shows how to express that someone had dementia using démence.Tatoeba #12481940 by always, translation #11769857 by Amastan
- Les symptômes de la démence peuvent être classifiés réversibles ou irréversibles, aux dépens de l’étiologie de la maladie.The symptoms of dementia can be classified as reversible or irreversible, depending on the aetiology of the disease.This sentence explains how symptoms of démence are classified.
- La démence est une maladie complexe du cerveau.Dementia is a complex brain disease.
- La perte de mémoire progressive peut être un signe de démence.Progressive memory loss can be a sign of dementia.
- La détérioration cognitive est une caractéristique clé de la démence.Cognitive deterioration is a key characteristic of dementia.
- Mon grand-père souffre de la maladie d'Alzheimer, une forme de démence.My grandfather suffers from Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia.
- Mon oncle a des moments de confusion mentale à cause de sa démence.My uncle has moments of mental confusion because of his dementia.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are discussing their grandfather's health.
- NathanMon grand-père a beaucoup de mal à se souvenir.My grandfather is having a lot of trouble remembering.
- ChloéEst-ce que le médecin a diagnostiqué une démence ?Did the doctor diagnose dementia?
- NathanOui, c'est malheureusement le cas.Yes, unfortunately that is the case.
- ChloéJe suis désolée pour toi et ta famille.I am sorry for you and your family.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dementia” translations and entries démence, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries démence, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
