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Synonyms

rickety

American  
[rik-i-tee] / ˈrɪk ɪ ti /

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 British  
/ 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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • ricketiness noun

Etymology

Origin of rickety

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

Explanation

Something rickety — like an old shack — is shaky and likely to fall down because it's fragile. Some buildings are sturdy, solid, and strong. Others are rickety: rickety things might blow over from a slight breeze. Rickety things are poorly designed or have just become rickety because of aging. Rickety things tend to shake, which is a sign they might fall apart any second. If you put a heavy load in a rickety cart, you might lost your load!

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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.

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

From Salon • Nov. 28, 2025

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.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

The Brewers’ bullpen was suddenly as rickety as the Dodgers’, and that was with Sasaki just spectating.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2025

After crossing a rickety bridge barely wide enough to hold our car, we are faced with a long drive up unpaved mountain roads with no safety barriers.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2025

As they moved toward school, the houses became bolder, sprouting second stories that stood uneasily in their rickety wooden frames.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

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.