dilapidated
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dilapidated
First recorded in 1800–10; dilapidate + -ed 2
Explanation
Falling down and in total disrepair, something that's dilapidated is going to need a lot of fixing up. Sure, there might be crooked floorboards, mice scurrying underfoot, and pieces missing from the ceiling, but that dilapidated house does come with one perk: a cheaper price tag! Dilapidated is a word that implies deterioration, often because of neglect. So if you don’t take care of things, they can become dilapidated. That goes for houses, tree forts, relationships, health — you name it!
Vocabulary lists containing dilapidated
Grade 10, List 2
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Tangerine
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The Maze Runner
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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 buildings near the back of the complex were dilapidated.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
It identified three other projects, including the rehabilitation of the historic but dilapidated Wadsworth Chapel, that would be funded by redirecting $212 million from previous authorizations.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Public transport meanwhile is shambolic, with most commercial vehicles dilapidated and lacking working air conditioning.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
Beyond the obvious, the dilapidated housing and the poverty, what struck Duncan Smith in Easterhouse was the hopelessness, the sense that being on benefits was a destination, not a bridge.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
Rydell lived way down River Road, along the Yazoo, in a dilapidated old house that he claimed had been in Greenwood since before the Civil War.
From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe
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.
