dilapidated

/di'læpideitid/

Thân thiện

A child walks past a dilapidated wooden fence in the old neighborhood.

Definition

Adjective 1. In a state of disrepair or ruin due to age or neglect: Describes a building, structure, or object that is falling apart, broken down, and in a very poor condition.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The city plans to renovate the dilapidated factory on the riverbank.
  • We found shelter from the storm in a dilapidated barn.
  • The once-grand hotel now stood dilapidated and abandoned.

Advanced Usage

• Figurative Use: Can be used metaphorically to describe something non-physical that is in a state of decay or collapse.
  • After years of underfunding, the public transportation system was dilapidated.
  • He tried to restore his dilapidated reputation.

Variants and Related Words

• Dilapidation (noun): The process of falling into decay or the state of being dilapidated.
  • The old mansion was in a shocking state of dilapidation.

Synonyms

• Ramshackle: Loosely made or held together; rickety.
• Tumbledown: Falling or fallen into ruin; dilapidated.
• Decrepit: Worn out or ruined because of age or neglect.
• Derelict: In a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect.
• Run-down: In a bad or neglected condition; dilapidated.

Antonyms

• Well-maintained
• Pristine
• Intact
• Sound (in structure)

Notes on Usage

The word dilapidated strongly implies that the poor condition is the result of a long process of neglect. It is most commonly applied to buildings and man-made structures but can extend to vehicles, furniture, and even abstract systems. It carries a more severe connotation than words like "shabby" or "worn."

Học thuật

Adjective

1. in deplorable condition
   • a street of bedraggled tenements
   • a broken-down fence
   • a ramshackle old pier
   • a tumble-down shack

Từ đồng nghĩa

• bedraggled
• broken-down
• derelict
• ramshackle
• tatterdemalion
• tumble-down