dereliction
Americannoun
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deliberate or conscious neglect; negligence; delinquency.
dereliction of duty.
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the act of abandoning something.
- Synonyms:
- desertion
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the state of being abandoned.
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Law. a leaving dry of land by recession of the water line.
noun
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deliberate, conscious, or wilful neglect (esp in the phrase dereliction of duty )
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the act of abandoning or deserting or the state of being abandoned or deserted
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law
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accretion of dry land gained by the gradual receding of the sea or by a river changing its course
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the land thus left
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Related Words
See neglect.
Etymology
Origin of dereliction
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin dērelictiōn- (stem of dērelictiō ) “an abandoning,” equivalent to dērelict(us) ( derelict ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Dereliction is a word for neglecting responsibilities. Failing to care for your family or do your job are examples of dereliction. If you are letting things go, you are engaged in dereliction. Not mowing your lawn is an example of dereliction; so is not feeding your children. Someone can be fired for dereliction of duty, meaning they have failed to do their job. Dereliction is the opposite of diligence, a quality of people who are hard-working. It might help you to remember this word if you know that homeless people are sometimes called derelicts, implying that they are not able to care for themselves.
Vocabulary lists containing dereliction
Vocabulary from the Second Presidential Debate: October 9, 2016
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Vocabulary Heard at the 2016 Republican National Convention
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"The Palace Thief" by Ethan Canin
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The charges are dereliction of duty and aggravated negligent destruction.
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
Its absence feels like a big miss or, less charitably, a dereliction of duty.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026
Federal law says that Fed officials can only be removed for "cause," which could be interpreted to mean malfeasance or dereliction of duty.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
Failing to navigate a relationship with China, he said, would be a "dereliction of duty" when China is a "defining force in technology, trade and global governance".
From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025
“To not make them public would be a dereliction of duty and morality.”
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
