rickety

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adjective rick·ety \ ˈri-kə-tē \

Definition of rickety

1 :affected with rickets

2 a :lacking stability or firmness :shaky 2a

a rickety coalition

b :in unsound physical condition

rickety veterans

rickety stairs

See rickety defined for English-language learners

See rickety defined for kids

Recent Examples of rickety from the Web

But professional basketball, a rickety commercial endeavor in its infancy, was dealt its biggest existential threat to date.

— seerat sohi, SI.com, "How the NBA Was Saved on the Back of a Napkin," 28 Aug. 2017
The van was so old and rickety that the carpet was the only thing between me and the road.

— andrew bockhold, Longreads, "Wrapping the Sunday Paper For the Last Time," 25 Aug. 2017
In the football field, other notable upgrades include a modern press box and visiting bleachers, which were all rickety and showing their age in recent years.

— james weber, Cincinnati.com, "After 50 years of football, CovCath debuts stadium lights," 14 Aug. 2017
Considering the snafus that will continue to accompany implementation of this new tax, more lawsuits are sure to follow that put an unnecessary strain on a rickety county court system.

— robert reed, chicagotribune.com, "It's been 9 days. It's time to repeal Cook County's soda pop tax," 10 Aug. 2017
Part Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, part Beastie Boys, since their 1994 debut G. Love and crew have been pioneering their own brand of rickety funk, often fixated on the satisfying of the appetites.

— john adamian, courant.com, "G. Love And Special Sauce At The Warehouse," 9 Aug. 2017
Riding along, and up and down, rickety roads, his body will rattle as if riding on a pneumatic drill.

— aimee lewis, CNN, "Extreme Cuba: 1,450 kilometers in 57 hours on two wheels ... listening to one song on repeat," 18 July 2017
More on Freep.com: That rickety but promising set — the White Stripes’ first public performance — is being released for streaming and download on this 20th anniversary day.

— brian mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "White Stripes' first performance released for streaming on 20th anniversary," 14 July 2017
Judging from the first episode, the investigation is to be a rickety one, with lots of conjecture and not a lot of hard evidence.

— neil genzlinger, New York Times, "Review: Did the ‘American Ripper’ Go Abroad?," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rickety.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of rickety

1673

RICKETY Defined for English Language Learners

rickety

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adjective

Definition of rickety for English Language Learners

: not strong or stable and likely to break

RICKETY Defined for Kids

rickety

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adjective rick·ety \ ˈri-kə-tē \

Definition of rickety for Students

:in poor condition and likely to break

Just below them, hugging the shore, rose a village of thatched huts, with a small, rickety pier, boats on the sand, and nets spread for mending.
—Lloyd Alexander, Time Cat

Medical Dictionary

rickety

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adjective rick·ety \ ˈrik-ət-ē \

medical Definition of rickety

:affected with rickets :rachitic

Learn More about rickety

Spanish Central: Translation of rickety Nglish: Translation of rickety for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rickety for Arabic speakers

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rickety

Definition of rickety

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First Known Use of rickety

RICKETY Defined for English Language Learners

rickety

Definition of rickety for English Language Learners

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rickety

Definition of rickety for Students

Medical Dictionary

rickety

medical Definition of rickety

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rickety

Definition of rickety

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Recent Examples of rickety from the Web

First Known Use of rickety

RICKETY Defined for English Language Learners

rickety

Definition of rickety for English Language Learners

RICKETY Defined for Kids

rickety

Definition of rickety for Students

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rickety

medical Definition of rickety

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