ramshackle
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- ramshackleness noun
Etymology
Origin of ramshackle
1815–25; compare earlier rans(h)ackled, obscurely akin to ransack
Explanation
Is your house in terrible condition? Does the roof leak? Is it half tumbling down? Congratulations! It's ramshackle — in other words, in terrible condition and barely holding together. If you think there's a similarity between a place that's been ransacked and a place that's ramshackle, you'd be right. Ramshackle comes from ransackle, an old 19th century term for "ransack." Although ramshackle is usually intended as a negative term, that's not always the case. Sometimes it can imply a certain cute picturesque quality. Buildings, places, and even some objects such as cars can be considered ramshackle.
Vocabulary lists containing ramshackle
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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Fences
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Echo
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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 film is not about a tugboat operator, nor does it follow the life and times of the ramshackle group working at a service garage.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026
A cardboard box found in a collector's "ramshackle" collection of vintage films contained two episodes of Doctor Who that have not been viewed since airing in the 1960s.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
I also inherited my beloved — at least by me — ramshackle family home that has not been lived in for more than 20 years.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026
The hospital in Akobo -- a ramshackle collection of buildings, most without doors or windows -- has only one surgeon, now overwhelmed.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
Penelope did not turn back even once to look at the ramshackle estate, but kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
