dilapidated
/dɪˈlæpɪdeɪtəd/
dilapidated means having fallen into a state of disrepair or deterioration, especially through neglect. It carries an Arena rating of 1517, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, dilapidated ranks #2,275 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #3,157 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #3,168 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #3,476 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
dilapidated is pronounced /dɪˈlæpɪdeɪtəd/.
Why “dilapidated” is a great word
Having fallen into a state of disrepair or deterioration, especially through neglect. From the Latin verb dilapidare, meaning "to scatter stones" or "to demolish," first recorded in English use in 1800–10. Unlike "decrepit," which implies a feebleness from long use, or "shabby," which suggests mere worn untidiness, dilapidated connotes a profound, structural ruin born of abandonment. It is the porch roof bowed under its own weight, the window glass replaced with cardboard and yellowed tape, and the staircase that groans like a living thing before each footfall—architecture become archaeology, waiting only for the final collapse that will scatter its stones as the word always intended.
adj
- Having fallen into a state of disrepair or deterioration, especially through neglect.e.g.“Their stately offices—their pleasant gardens—the magnificent cloisters constructed for their recreation, were all dilapidated and ruinous; […]” — 1820, [Walter Scott], chapter XIII, in The Abbot. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and Jo
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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