Dictionary.com

dereliction

[ der-uh-lik-shuhn ]
/ ˌdɛr əˈlɪk ʃən /
See synonyms for dereliction on Thesaurus.com

noun

deliberate or conscious neglect; negligence; delinquency: dereliction of duty.
the act of abandoning something.
the state of being abandoned.
Law. a leaving dry of land by recession of the water line.

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Origin of dereliction

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin dērelictiōn- (stem of dērelictiō ) “an abandoning,” equivalent to dērelict(us) (see derelict) + -iōn- -ion

synonym study for dereliction

1. See neglect.

Words nearby dereliction

deregister, deregulate, dereism, Derek, derelict, dereliction, derencephaly, derepress, derepression, derequisition, derestrict
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to dereliction

negligence, evasion, desolation, desertion, relinquishment, forsaking, carelessness, nonperformance

Example sentences from the Web for dereliction

British Dictionary definitions for dereliction

dereliction
/ (ˌdɛrɪˈlɪkʃən) /

noun

deliberate, conscious, or wilful neglect (esp in the phrase dereliction of duty)
the act of abandoning or deserting or the state of being abandoned or deserted
law
  1. accretion of dry land gained by the gradual receding of the sea or by a river changing its course
  2. the land thus left
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