1
as in neglectful
failing to give proper care and attention
the guards were judged derelict in their duty
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disused
left unoccupied or unused
purchased an old derelict mansion that was rumored to be haunted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bum
an idle worthless person
a section of the city that seemed to be frequented mostly by derelicts
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of derelict
Greg Allen, NPR, 3 Sep. 2024
The power station, which is famous for gracing the cover of the Pink Floyd album Animals, was decommissioned in 1983 and lay derelict for almost 30 years.
—Jamie Hailstone, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Jennifer Hattam, TIME, 25 July 2024
The country’s derelict regime couldn’t last forever, U.S. leaders reasoned.
—Doug Bandow, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2016
See All Example Sentences for derelict
Adjective
The association has raised concerns about pollution from boats that illegally dump their waste into the bay, about the damage their anchors cause to seagrass and about the cost of dealing with derelict vessels abandoned by their owners.
—Greg Allen, NPR, 3 Sep. 2024
The power station, which is famous for gracing the cover of the Pink Floyd album Animals, was decommissioned in 1983 and lay derelict for almost 30 years.
—Jamie Hailstone, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
This grand Turkish bath (hamam) reopened in May 2024 after laying derelict for decades.
—Jennifer Hattam, TIME, 25 July 2024
The country’s derelict regime couldn’t last forever, U.S. leaders reasoned.
—Doug Bandow, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2016
See All Example Sentences for derelict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derelict
Adjective
-
Two pit bulls were rescued from their allegedly neglectful owner and her uninhabitable home on Wednesday, Feb. 19, according to a Sunday, Feb. 23 Suffolk County SPCA news release.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
25 Feb. 2025
-
These dream-memories throw us directly into the action with scenes involving mobsters, a neglectful father, and an explosion—all before skipping back to unrelated conversations in modern day.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the most powerful scenes in Sugarcane takes place in a disused barn where, over a period of decades, Indigenous children worked under the lash.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
8 Feb. 2025
-
McQueen spends half an hour dispassionately showing us the grimness of HMP Maze, a Troubles-era warehouse for enemies of the British state on a disused airfield.—
IndieWire Staff,
IndieWire,
12 Aug. 2024
Noun
-
This was all done with a bum wrist, which posed as an inconvenience to him at times.—
Hannah Kirby,
Journal Sentinel,
4 Aug. 2024
-
Tommy, left to prosecute the case against Rusty, has inherited a bum gig.—
Vinson Cunningham,
The New Yorker,
26 July 2024
Adjective
-
She was charged with a DUI and DWI, negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
28 Feb. 2025
-
On March 19, 2024, Huger was charged with a DUI and DWI on the counts of: negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property.—
Gabriela Silva,
TVLine,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The beggars, widows, and families with sick relatives who once made a pilgrimage to the gates of the parliament building in the Green Zone to beg lawmakers for help are now barred from entry.—
Ned Parker,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Feb. 2012
-
All the beggars at the intersection of Lee Road and the off-ramp of I-4 are completely out of hand.—
Ticked Off,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 July 2024
Adjective
-
There is also a great bar hidden along the hotel’s lazy river pool, which is a big hit with kids, but adults will love the bar.—
Larry Olmsted,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Many people assume that kids in Passenger Mode are lazy.—
Jenny Anderson,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
But the findings won’t be able to say how abandoned land should be managed, or whether people should try to manage it at all.—
ByDan Charles,
science.org,
2 Jan. 2025
-
A day later his car was found abandoned but undamaged in a parking lot near Congaree National Park about 20 miles southeast of Columbia.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
3 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Extra hooks allow the bag to transform into a trapezoidal hobo shape.—
Joelle Diderich,
WWD,
19 Sep. 2024
-
There’s a lot to love about Coach’s viral shoulder bag: the modern hobo style, the soft leather, the distinct shape.—
Lindy Segal,
Glamour,
13 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Derelict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derelict. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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