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decrepitude

decrepitude

2 9.3
A state of being worn out and weak because of old age or long use
  • noun
  • /dɪˈkrɛpɪtud/
translation icon : decrepitud
  • The elderly man's stories were filled with wisdom, but his physical decrepitude made it hard for him to move.
  • mental decrepitude
  • physical decrepitude
  • instances of decrepitude

And that death should be so empty of pain and decrepitude and cognitive decline.

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Examples

  • I suppose my mother's cohorts did not differ greatly in their phases of decrepitude from any other citizen expiring down the nation's hallways of assisted living.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • As he aged, he became more aware of the effects of decrepitude on his body.

  • But I am far gone in age and decrepitude.

  • I'll keep that in mind as I approach decrepitude.

  • I am now almost always living on the outer edges of decrepitude.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • "But as I languish here in this house of disease "and decrepitude, "my mind turns with increasing frequency "to the problem of our son.

  • The ongoing adventures of a man trying to fight off impending decrepitude through running

    Blog text (16)
  • I suppose I've won a rearguard action or two in my war against decrepitude.

  • Since her middle-aged daughter had died before she did, Alice Malley expected only sorrow, increasing solitude, and eventual decrepitude.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • My mother's neighbors—Jewish widows in various states of decrepitude—sat in beach chairs around the communal pool.

    Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

decline
vsdecrepitude
439 3.9

A gradual loss in amount, quality, or value

emphasizes an existing broken weak condition rather than gradual decrease
wear
vsdecrepitude
44 4.3

Damage that happens to something after long use

describes a broader state of being worn out and weak with age
deterioration
vsdecrepitude
43 5.9

A slow change when something like a building or a person's health becomes worse

focuses on the resulting worn out weak state rather than the process
wear and tear
vsdecrepitude
17 3.0

Slow damage that happens to things like cars or furniture from normal use over time

refers to an overall broken weak condition from long use or age
disrepair
vsdecrepitude
13 5.9

A poor condition of a house or wall because no one fixed it

covers a wider sense of being weak or worn from long use
dilapidation
vsdecrepitude
1 8.4

A building or place that becomes run-down and damaged because people do not care for it

is a more general state of broken weakness not only from neglect
debility
vsdecrepitude
1 8.2

Weakness in the body that follows illness or old age

applies more broadly to objects and general worn out states not only bodies

Antonyms

1.2

Physical or mental power a person has to act

16 4.6

Ability of a living thing to survive and grow

2 5.5

Strength and health that help a person or thing withstand hard conditions

How Worn

decrepitude
2 9.3
deterioration
43 5.9
wear
44 4.3

Surface Forms

decrepitude singular
decrepitudes plural

Morphology

decrepitude = decrepit (transparent) = decrepit + itude

Formed by a straightforward noun derivation from the adjective 'decrepit' using the '-itude' suffix meaning 'state or condition of'.

Etymology

Decrepitude comes from Latin parts de- 'completely' and crepit- 'to creak', which you can see in the English word creak. So, decrepitude means the state of being worn out and weak, like a building or body that creaks and falls apart from old age or long use.