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

In Sheinkopf’s view, a Mamdani victory would be the first impact of a wave that he fears could wash over the country, reshaping the what he described as a decrepit Democratic Party in its image.

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For that offense, she was grabbed off the street by a half-dozen plainclothes federal agents and detained for weeks in a decrepit ICE facility, thousands of miles away.

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It is so decrepit that it has served as a post-apocalyptic setting for music videos by stars such as Drake, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The building is decrepit, with peeling paint, rusted pipes, and crumbling toilets in each cramped cell.

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The government has referred to the ships as being "decrepit and dangerous" as well as being responsible for "reckless seafaring".

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Related Words

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