rickety

[rik-i-tee]

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adjective, rick·et·i·er, rick·et·i·est.

likely to fall or collapse; shaky: a rickety chair.
feeble in the joints; tottering; infirm: a rickety old man.
old, dilapidated, or in disrepair.

irregular, as motion or action.
affected with or suffering from rickets.
pertaining to or of the nature of rickets.

Origin of rickety

First recorded in 1675–85; ricket(s) + -y¹

Related formsrick·et·i·ness, noun

Synonyms

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2. decrepit, frail, withered, unsteady, wobbly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rickety

Contemporary Examples

She looks at you and then points to a rickety wooden boat about twenty-five meters from where you stand.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq
Nathan Bradley Bethea
August 31, 2014
There were taxis, called “hackneys,” which were rickety stagecoaches cast off by the rich and repurposed as transport for hire.
Great Cities are Born Filthy
Will Doig
July 13, 2014
Ray gave Jay a shell, then stepped onto a small, rickety carousel in the comer of the churchyard and loaded up.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial
Ivan Solotaroff
June 28, 2014
"Yeah, all right," he mutters, then follows his brothers out of the room, down a rickety flight of stairs and into the crucible.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou
John Ed Bradley
April 27, 2014
We were staying in this cool, rickety, haunted hotel on Lake Michigan and just had an amazing time.
Olivia Wilde on ‘Drinking Buddies,’ Skinny-Dipping, Booze, and More
Marlow Stern
August 19, 2013

Historical Examples

He lit a candle, and went cautiously down the rickety staircase.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
There was a thud as his fist hit the rickety, squeaking table in the center of the room.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
I perceive the altar to be rickety and the Commandments damp.
The Uncommercial Traveller
Charles Dickens
Another, a third, and a fourth gust rattled and shook the rickety frame.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald
Under the washshed, which adjoined the kitchen, was a rickety door.
Thankful's Inheritance
Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for rickety

rickety

adjective

(of a structure, piece of furniture, etc) likely to collapse or break; shaky
feeble with age or illness; infirm
relating to, resembling, or afflicted with rickets

Derived Formsricketiness, noun

Word Origin

C17: from rickets

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for rickety

adj.

"liable to fall down," 1680s, from rickets (with + -y (2)), via notion of "weak, unhealthy." Literal sense is from c.1720 but never common in English. Of material things, from 1799.

rickety

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}rickety

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for rickety

Contemporary Examples

She looks at you and then points to a rickety wooden boat about twenty-five meters from where you stand.

There were taxis, called “hackneys,” which were rickety stagecoaches cast off by the rich and repurposed as transport for hire.

Ray gave Jay a shell, then stepped onto a small, rickety carousel in the comer of the churchyard and loaded up.

"Yeah, all right," he mutters, then follows his brothers out of the room, down a rickety flight of stairs and into the crucible.

We were staying in this cool, rickety, haunted hotel on Lake Michigan and just had an amazing time.

Historical Examples

He lit a candle, and went cautiously down the rickety staircase.

There was a thud as his fist hit the rickety, squeaking table in the center of the room.

I perceive the altar to be rickety and the Commandments damp.

Another, a third, and a fourth gust rattled and shook the rickety frame.

Under the washshed, which adjoined the kitchen, was a rickety door.

rickety

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for rickety

adj.

Origin of rickety