as in neglected
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
a dilapidated car that had seen better days
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Recent Examples of dilapidated
Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
Reviving Venezuela’s oil industry would deepen environmental damage in a country already plagued by spills, gas leaks and dilapidated infrastructure, with higher output expected to boost climate emissions and increase spill risks in fragile ecosystems, several experts warned.
—Steven Grattan, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
To find her, Luis becomes embedded with an outlaw band of ravers, who cross the Moroccan desert in huge, dilapidated trucks.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2025
This magical island has drawn rich and famous people to its shores, including the late Giorgio Armani, who transformed two dilapidated dammusi into a summer home.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dilapidated
Adjective
Volunteers will spend the morning working on a number of projects downtown, with the potential list including painting the dilapidated former Greyhound Bus station site on Almaden Boulevard and working on the Guadalupe River Park trails.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
Reviving Venezuela’s oil industry would deepen environmental damage in a country already plagued by spills, gas leaks and dilapidated infrastructure, with higher output expected to boost climate emissions and increase spill risks in fragile ecosystems, several experts warned.
—Steven Grattan, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
To find her, Luis becomes embedded with an outlaw band of ravers, who cross the Moroccan desert in huge, dilapidated trucks.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2025
This magical island has drawn rich and famous people to its shores, including the late Giorgio Armani, who transformed two dilapidated dammusi into a summer home.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dilapidated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilapidated
Adjective
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The department issued heavy fines and ultimately shuttered a neglected building in Denver’s uptown neighborhood last year that was owned by CBZ Management.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
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The narrative highlights the growing, unseen populations of lonely and neglected individuals, shedding light on a vital but often ignored aspect of public care.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Infrastructure in Venezuela is severely degraded, and any meaningful revival would likely require more than $100 billion in investment over a decade.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The system degraded exactly as predicted.—
Staff report,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The abandoned Westminster Mall has turned into a hotspot for vandalism since shuttering in late 2025, according to police who are attempting to raise awareness about the issue.—
Lesley Marin,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Rogers is shopworker Polly Parrish, who gets mistakenly identified as the parent of an abandoned baby.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Fifty-six days later, homicide investigators arrive at Oliver’s apartment to find an unidentified body—brutally murdered and intentionally decomposed.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
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The body was decomposed, a fire official said.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Tennyson spent the rest of his life returning to that desolate seascape, literally but also literarily.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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The word that came to mind was desolate.—
Ken Harbaugh,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Wearing them for an hour is miserable, let alone a whole day.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026
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And finally, the charges dismissed but his family gone, Campbell won a miserable kind of freedom.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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American culture will not be mocked or corrupted without consequence.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Feb. 2026
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When the media are corrupted and play with the truth regarding political and ideological agendas, democracy dies.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Enter Tyrannio, a Greek specialist in literature and libraries, owner of some 30,000 scrolls and famed expert on Aristotle — in fact, the same man responsible for restoring the philosopher’s tattered library after it was hauled to Rome.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
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Concerns about the project and the tattered state of the street have been raised at local community planning meetings, with some wondering whether the work had stalled for some reason.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dilapidated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilapidated. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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