dilapidated
adjective
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Something that is dilapidated may not have been literally pummeled with stones, but it might look that way. Dilapidated derives (via the English verb dilapidate) from dilapidatus, the past participle of the Latin verb dilapidare ("to squander or destroy"). That verb was formed by combining dis-, meaning "apart," with the verb lapidare, meaning "to pelt with stones." Other English descendants of lapidare include the verb lapidate ("to pelt or kill with stones") and the noun lapidary, which is used to refer to a person who cuts or polishes precious stones. Both words share as a root the Latin noun lapis, meaning "stone." We also find lapis in the name lapis lazuli, a bright blue semiprecious stone.
Synonyms
Examples of dilapidated in a Sentence
Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
An urban search-and-rescue team continued to search along the brush line of the riverbank, checked storm drains and looked in dilapidated buildings, but police told reporters on Thursday there was no sign of Strain.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2024
About fifty thousand people are currently imprisoned in Al-Hol, which is named for a dilapidated nearby town.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
More than four-dozen people now live there, some in new-looking Bullet trailers provided by the city, and others in cars, tents and more dilapidated trailers and RVs.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
Last month, Browning’s friend Drew Cook showed him a photo of the dilapidated restaurant surrounded by fencing and adorned with signage promising that a Sheetz gas station was coming soon.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
In recent decades, the reservation has contended with a litany of social ills tied to deep poverty, including alcoholism and substance abuse, overcrowded, dilapidated housing and youth suicide.
—Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2024
Really, the only way to tell that this dilapidated structure – Building 4442, one of row upon row of such squat, khaki, standard-issue sandstone units at the heart of Fort Ord – once served as a proud and invaluable purpose are the murals that remain.
—Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Johnson's administration says the dilapidated buildings are a public health and safety hazard.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 25 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dilapidated.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Dilapidated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilapidated. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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