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.
Examples of dilapidated in a Sentence
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 6 June 2026
Here cavernous sheet-metal market halls rub shoulders with dilapidated clapboard stores.
—Duncan Madden, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The Urban Institute detailed in 2024 how declining government funding for public spaces had left many dilapidated and underutilized, or privatized and no longer free.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 26 May 2026
Despite the dilapidated state, the couple fell in love with its ancient olive trees, a creek and a network of aqueducts winding through the fields.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dilapidated
Cite this Entry
“Dilapidated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilapidated. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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