rickety

[rik-i-tee]

adjective

ricketier, ricketiest 

1. likely to fall or collapse; shaky.

   a rickety chair.

2. feeble in the joints; tottering; infirm.

   a rickety old man.

   Synonyms: wobbly, unsteady, frail, decrepit

3. old, dilapidated, or in disrepair.

4. irregular, as motion or action.

5. affected with or having rickets.

6. relating to or of the nature of rickets.

rickety

/ ˈrɪkɪtɪ /

adjective

1. (of a structure, piece of furniture, etc) likely to collapse or break; shaky

2. feeble with age or illness; infirm

3. relating to, resembling, or afflicted with rickets

Other Word Forms

• ricketiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rickety¹

First recorded in 1675–85; ricket(s) + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of rickety¹

C17: from _rickets

Example Sentences

And it’s a much more rickety machine than it first appeared.

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But her conceit that the Inter-Con’s trajectory can constitute, as the book’s subtitle asserts, “a people’s history of Afghanistan,” is rickety at best.

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The stairs leading to the door are uneven and rickety, feeding into a porch that has six wicker chairs—five upright, and one kicked over.

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Alas, the wagon was a rickety wooden affair.

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The rickety cage creaked slowly up—and stopped between two floors.

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Related Words

• broken 
• decrepit 
• derelict 
• dilapidated 
• flimsy 
• ramshackle 
• shaky 
• wobbly