1
as in abandonment
the act of abandoning the dereliction by the owners of a once flourishing orchard

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2
3
as in neglect
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action both sentries were to be court-martialed for dereliction of duty

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dereliction Watching a patient suffer feels like a dereliction of duty to many health care workers. Daniel T. Kim, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2025 Okay, that seems like a dereliction of duty. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 28 Jan. 2025 The implication is that this dereliction explains why the institution is inert and unresponsive to the American people. Lorelei Kelly, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025 Even those who generally supported Carlsen were shocked, seeing it not as an example of sportsmanship but as dereliction. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dereliction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dereliction
Noun
  • Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home from either abuse, abandonment or neglect.
    Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 May 2025
  • The children’s parents — identified as a 53-year-old German man and his 48-year-old American wife, who also owned a German passport — were arrested and charged with domestic violence with habitual psychological abuse and child abandonment, according to police, per ABC.
    Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 1 May 2025
Noun
  • Reasonable limits on liability • Exclusions for gross negligence or willful misconduct Tip: Always read these clauses carefully and ask your attorney to explain them in plain English.
    Stephen Nalley, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
  • In a more extreme case, an 81-year-old hunter was deemed liable for negligence after accidentally shooting someone while out pheasant hunting in South Windsor in 2023.
    Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2025
Noun
  • After years of neglect and mismanagement that allowed the building to fall into disrepair, the Mayfair’s new owner has invested or raised millions of dollars to make improvements in the building.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Relatives of a man who died in custody at the main county jail last year has amended its lawsuit against the city to include details of his arrest by Sacramento police that family members say show neglect of his medical needs.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Without the puck, Nurse and Bouchard have the same weakness (read and react, wandering).
    Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 3 May 2025
  • But for many military families, seeking help is seen as a sign of weakness.
    Anne Ritter, The Conversation, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • Lucia accuses Maggie of desertion at one point in this week’s episode despite Maggie not actually trying to desert.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
  • Last February, a Russian anti-war project named Get Lost, which was created to help Russia's men evade or escape conscription in Ukraine, said cases of desertion from the military had increased tenfold that year.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • She’s just heard her lover’s sins — the new and plunging depths of betrayal.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Jesus told the woman to leave her life of sin and walk in a new life of holiness.
    Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Some possible scenarios include: The Department of Justice: If criminal activity occurred, and Evolve is found at fault, then the DOJ could force it to pay.
    Medora Lee, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • Video of flames at the base of an Edison transmission tower in Eaton Canyon on the night the fire began raised suspicions that the utility’s equipment was at fault.
    Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Each name is steeped in its own history and connotations, linked to the achievements or failings of the previous popes or saints who carried it.
    Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
  • Tshisekedi’s party often blames outside forces for failings of its own making, and is affiliated with mobs of young men, known as the Forces of Progress, who have been accused of bullying his opponents.
    Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dereliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dereliction. Accessed 18 May. 2025.

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