decrepitude

noun

de·​crep·​i·​tude di-ˈkre-pə-ˌtüd How to pronounce decrepitude (audio)
-ˌtyüd
: the quality or state of being decrepit

Examples of decrepitude in a Sentence

The house has fallen into decrepitude.
Recent Examples on the Web His advanced decrepitude will be matched only by the looming threat of irrelevance in a desensitized world. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 25 Oct. 2023 Here and throughout his work, contradictions between vitality and decrepitude, nature and artifice, beauty and the grotesque don’t resolve in neutralizing harmony, but instead thrum on with generative friction. Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023 How much of the aging process is an inevitable slide into decrepitude, and how much is a result of not getting enough exercise? Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2023 For years, the levee running along the Pajaro River had been neglected despite concerns about its decrepitude. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2023 Many famous defendants have aimed for respectability, maturity, wide-eyed innocence or even pitiful decrepitude on their days in court. Ashley Fetters Maloy, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2023 Americans, meanwhile, have a diet of TV shows and memes that link aging with uselessness, weakness, and decrepitude. Marty Munson, Men's Health, 28 Mar. 2023 At 72 years of age (that’s 14 in cat years), Lloyd Webber bears no signs of decrepitude. Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2020 People bought there, people built there, and when the real estate company folded, the sign that was meant to stand for 18 months soldiered on into decrepitude for years. Patt Morrisoncolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decrepitude.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of decrepitude was in 1603

Dictionary Entries Near decrepitude

Cite this Entry

“Decrepitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decrepitude. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

decrepitude

noun
de·​crep·​i·​tude di-ˈkrep-ə-ˌt(y)üd How to pronounce decrepitude (audio)
: the quality or state of being decrepit : loss of strength or sturdiness especially from old age

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