rickety

American  

[rik-i-tee] / ˈrɪk ɪ ti /

adjective

ricketier, ricketiest

1. likely to fall or collapse; shaky.

   a rickety chair.

2. feeble in the joints; tottering; infirm.

   a rickety old man.

   Synonyms:

   wobbly, unsteady, frail, decrepit

3. old, dilapidated, or in disrepair.

4. irregular, as motion or action.

5. affected with or having rickets.

6. relating to or of the nature of rickets.

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rickety British  

/ ˈrɪkɪtɪ /

adjective

1. (of a structure, piece of furniture, etc) likely to collapse or break; shaky

2. feeble with age or illness; infirm

3. relating to, resembling, or afflicted with rickets

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Other Word Forms

• ricketiness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of rickety

First recorded in 1675–85; ricket(s) + -y ¹

Explanation

Something rickety — like an old shack — is shaky and likely to fall down because it's fragile. Some buildings are sturdy, solid, and strong. Others are rickety: rickety things might blow over from a slight breeze. Rickety things are poorly designed or have just become rickety because of aging. Rickety things tend to shake, which is a sign they might fall apart any second. If you put a heavy load in a rickety cart, you might lost your load!

Example Sentences

I learned many of the details above from a piece titled “Inside TheMaven’s Plan to Turn Sports Illustrated Into a Rickety Content Mill,” which was published, in October, by Deadspin.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 3, 2019

Rickety wooden boards supported by steel beams make up the “power plant” floor, just a few feet above a pond.

From Washington Times • Jul. 13, 2015

Rickety houses are still boarded up, rotting roofs sag, but half the neighborhood turns out for the second line, dancing, twirling parasols and sashaying as the Rebirth Brass Band tunes up.

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2010

Rickety rackety, “Rosie the Riveter” Turned in her apron to Work with the guys; Found that she liked her new Employability — That’s why you have to eat Frozen pot pies.

From Washington Post

Rickety flights of outside stairs led to the upper stories of the buildings; overhead, lines of linen, hung out to dry, were flapping in the wind.

From A Round Dozen by Coolidge, Susan

Related Words

• broken
• decrepit
• derelict
• dilapidated
• flimsy
• ramshackle
• shaky
• wobbly