rickety

adjective

rick·​ety ˈri-kə-tē 

1

: affected with rickets

2

a

: lacking stability or firmness : shaky sense 2a

a rickety coalition

b

: in unsound physical condition

rickety veterans

rickety stairs

Examples of rickety in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The possibility -- even likelihood -- of some rickety old thing collapsing under me never occurred to me. — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026

There followed an uncomfortable, lurching ride in a rickety old coach. — Andy Mitten, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Each state has its own system, and many are rickety or verging on obsolescence. — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

For years, many ​of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority have embarked on rickety wooden ​boats to try to reach neighbouring countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, ‌in ⁠a bid to flee persecution in Myanmar or overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh. — CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rickety

adjective

rick·​ety ˈrik-ət-ē 

1

: in weak physical condition

a rickety old man

2

: unsound sense 3, shaky

a rickety wagon

Medical Definition

rickety

adjective

rick·​ety ˈrik-ət-ē 

: affected with rickets : rachitic