decrepit

[ dih-krep-it ]

/ dɪˈkrɛp ɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR decrepit ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

weakened by old age; feeble; infirm: a decrepit man who can hardly walk.

worn out by long use; dilapidated: a decrepit stove.

Nearby words

decree-law, decreet, decrement, decremeter, decreolize, decrepit, decrepitate, decrepitude, decresc., decrescendo, decrescent

Origin of decrepit

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

SYNONYMS FOR decrepit

1 enfeebled. See weak.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR decrepit ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR decrepit

1 vigorous.

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Related forms

de·crep·it·ly, adverbde·crep·it·ness, nounun·de·crep·it, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for decrepit

It was headquartered in Stanleyville, in a tall corner building that still stands in the decrepit, yet lively, downtown.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only a rounded bar and three rotting bathtubs remain in the decrepit club.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The decrepit BMD came to a stop with a gear-clanking jolt by the water, and within seconds the soldiers broke out the vodka.
Shakeup In the Ukraine Rebel High Command|Jamie Dettmer|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As I stepped out of a decrepit office building into a perfect sunny day, a member of my team started talking into his radio.
We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night|Nathan Bradley Bethea|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Wandering around Tribeca, you may stumble upon a decrepit elevator shaft that's full of curiosities.
New York’s Tiniest—and Weirdest—Museum|Nina Strochlic|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Was she, in her decrepit mendicancy, still youthful enough to remember something of the old happier days?
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo
The men were absent hunting and the camp was given over to the women and decrepit dogs.
Through the Heart of Patagonia|H. Hesketh Prichard
But John harnessed his decrepit mare to his ramshackle buggy, and started for town.
The Girls of Central High|Gertrude W. Morrison
The law is somewhat old and decrepit, and the modern well-to-do swindler is very much up to date.
The Law and the Poor|Edward Abbott Parry
In addition to homeless boys who steal from destitution, there are, as I have said, a number of decrepit old men who do the same.
Crime and Its Causes|William Douglas Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for decrepit

decrepit

/ (dɪˈkrɛpɪt) /

adjective

enfeebled by old age; infirm

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

Derived Forms

decrepitly, adverbdecrepitude, noun

Word Origin for decrepit

C15: from Latin dēcrepitus, from crepāre to creak

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