dilapidated
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nondilapidated adjective
- undilapidated adjective
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.
Their urban landscapes have since turned into a chaotic mix of new high-rises, Stalin-era neoclassicism, dilapidated shacks and stalled construction sites.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 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
Beneath moss-covered cinder blocks, dilapidated stone markers, and a handful of headstones, more than 200 children who died in state custody between the 1870s and 1930s are buried.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
In 2015, he transformed the dilapidated Tropicana lido in Weston-super-Mare, which he had visited as a child, into the subversive tourist attraction Dismaland.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
“And what will the city do with this marvelous property once they shut down this dilapidated excuse for a school?”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
