decrepit

[dih-krep-it]

adjective

1. weakened by old age; feeble; infirm.

   a decrepit man who can hardly walk.

   Antonyms: vigorous

2. worn out by long use; dilapidated.

   a decrepit stove.

decrepit

/ dɪˈkrɛpɪt /

adjective

1. enfeebled by old age; infirm

2. broken down or worn out by hard or long use; dilapidated

Other Word Forms

• decrepitly adverb
• decrepitness noun
• undecrepit adjective
• decrepitude noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrepit¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin dēcrepitus, literally, “broken down,” equivalent to dē- de- + crep(āre) “to crack” + -i- -i- + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrepit¹

C15: from Latin dēcrepitus, from crepāre to creak

Synonym Study

See weak.

Example Sentences

At California City Detention Facility, immigrants file lawsuit over alleged ‘shockingly deficient’ medical care, frigid temperatures, bugs crawling on walls, sewage backups, inadequate food and water, and generally ‘decrepit’ conditions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The decrepit lampposts cast a faint light onto Autumn’s face, which is drawn tight as she catches her breath.

Read more on Literature

During her run as Celie in The Color Purple in London, she recalls critics complaining that her character wasn’t “gray” or “decrepit” enough and that the show “wasn’t violent enough.”

Read more on Salon

In the end, the Mobutu era left few visible traces behind: a handful of palaces and monuments to the late dictator lie decrepit, while virtually no infrastructure from his time survives to this day.

Read more on Barron's

Now, it needs to spend more again on the military and shore up crumbling infrastructure, from potholed roads to a decrepit rail system.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• battered 
• broken-down 
• creaky 
• dilapidated 
• feeble 
• flimsy 
• frail 
• infirm 
• ramshackle 
• rickety 
• run down 
• seedy 
• shabby