dilapidated
adjective
Did you know?
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
Kim Velsey, Curbed, 20 Oct. 2025
The Duffers’ monitors are set up inside a dilapidated Radio Shack, presumably the same one that Bob (Sean Astin) worked at in Season 2.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
Earlier this year, French newspaper Le Parisien reported on a confidential letter sent from the president of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, to Culture Minister Rachida Dati warning of the dilapidated state of one of Europe’s top attractions.
—Caitlin Danaher, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
The Gein farmhouse was a dilapidated house of horrors.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dilapidated
Cite this Entry
“Dilapidated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilapidated. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share