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derelict

derelict

14 7.5
A place or building that is abandoned and in very bad condition from lack of use
  • adjective
  • /ˈdɛrəlɪkt/
translation icon : abandonado
  • The derelict building has been abandoned for years, covered in vines and broken windows.
  • derelict spaces

And I looked at him and said the Highline is the derelict railroad bridge.

Examples

  • One of Miami's famous canals has derelict ships docked and rusting.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Hasn't Black Rock been buying up all these derelict, empty properties?

  • It's like 100 miles of derelict track down here.

  • It's just a derelict apartment.

  • For one, the kitchen is derelict.

  • Why have so many spectacular buildings been left to end up derelict like that?

    Blog text (27)
  • I pulled out on the highway, passing a derelict factory.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Very sad how so much infrastructure can be left derelict and unattended.

    Blog text (27)
  • Behind me on the horizon there's a derelict monastery in need of demolition.

  • Pavements were cracked, road surfaces potholed, and some tenements were obviously derelict.

    Fiction book (2002)

Synonyms

broken-down
vsderelict
24 4.4

In very poor condition and not working because of age or neglect

adds the sense that disuse and abandonment caused the breakdown
in ruins
vsderelict
23 3.8

A place or thing that is very badly damaged, often used for buildings and companies

is less about total destruction and more about long neglect and disuse
uninhabited
vsderelict
20 4.0

A place with no people living there

also includes visible neglect and deterioration from long disuse
dilapidated
vsderelict
18 6.2

A building that is very old and badly damaged because no one fixed it

adds the idea that the place was also left and unused
run-down
vsderelict
15 4.5

A building or place that is in poor condition because people do not look after it

emphasizes abandonment and disuse as causes of that poor condition
ramshackle
vsderelict
10 7.5

Old and in very bad condition, like a house about to fall down

focuses more on being left and neglected rather than construction quality
decrepit
vsderelict
9 6.6

A building or vehicle that is very old and in poor condition from lack of care

stresses abandonment and lack of use as central to the state
untended
vsderelict
3 4.9

Not given care, like a garden

goes further to show actual abandonment and very poor condition
flea-bitten
vsderelict
  • Archaic
2 7.8

Old and in bad condition from use and poor care

is more formal and highlights actual abandonment and disuse
left in ruins
vsderelict
2 5.3

Badly damaged or destroyed, like a building after a disaster

focuses instead on long abandonment and neglect rather than violent damage
abandoned
vsderelict
2 2.8

Left empty and not used, often by people who lived there

adds neglect and poor condition caused by long disuse
disused
vsderelict
1 4.5

Something that is empty or abandoned and no longer works

implies this plus visible neglect and very poor physical condition
deserted
vsderelict
1 3.0

A place that people no longer live in or use

focuses more on neglect and deteriorated condition over mere emptiness
tumble-down
vsderelict
1 6.7

An old building in very bad condition because no one repaired it

is similar but specifically stresses the place being unused and neglected

Antonyms

Kept in good condition by regular care

Compounds

An abandoned car that is broken and left in bad condition

How Neglected

ruined
1 3.1
dilapidated
18 6.2
derelict
14 7.5
worn
4 2.1
intact
304 3.7

Surface Forms

derelict positive

Etymology

Derelict comes from Latin parts de- 'away' and relinquere 'to leave', the same root as relinquish. So a derelict building is one 'left' empty and in very poor condition because people have stopped caring for it.