decrepit

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective decrepit contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of decrepit are feeble, fragile, frail, infirm, and weak. While all these words mean "not strong enough to endure strain, pressure, or strenuous effort," decrepit implies being worn-out or broken-down from long use or old age.

the dowager's decrepit retainers

When can feeble be used instead of decrepit?

The meanings of feeble and decrepit largely overlap; however, feeble suggests extreme weakness inviting pity or contempt.

a feeble attempt to walk

When would fragile be a good substitute for decrepit?

In some situations, the words fragile and decrepit are roughly equivalent. However, fragile suggests frailty and brittleness unable to resist rough usage.

a reclusive poet too fragile for the rigors of this world

When might frail be a better fit than decrepit?

While the synonyms frail and decrepit are close in meaning, frail implies delicacy and slightness of constitution or structure.

a frail teenager unable to enjoy sports

When could infirm be used to replace decrepit?

Although the words infirm and decrepit have much in common, infirm suggests instability, unsoundness, and insecurity due to old age or crippling illness.

infirm residents requiring constant care

In what contexts can weak take the place of decrepit?

The words weak and decrepit can be used in similar contexts, but weak applies to deficiency or inferiority in strength or power of any sort.

felt weak after the surgery

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 decrepit The Tampa Bay Rays, for instance, don’t want to return to decrepit Tropicana Field — even if the caved-in roof is repaired. Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025 Perhaps something good can come out of the city’s baffling 2016 decision to acquire the decrepit building without any seeming awareness that, in 2014, a consultant for its previous owner had called it fundamentally obsolete and cited asbestos contamination. U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2025 Based on the video game of the same name created by Scott Cawthon, the 2023 film follows a night guard (Josh Hutcherson) who takes a job at a decrepit pizzeria, discovering that the animatronic characters in the restaurant come to life after dark. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 July 2025 Malls, train stations and even decrepit bus terminals transformed into overnight refuges. Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for decrepit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decrepit
Adjective
  • Skyscrapers could have made a historic but dilapidated neighborhood more varied and richly layered.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Additionally, several existing dilapidated buildings on the site will be demolished and their concrete recycled and partly reused to realize the new structures.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Kleptocratic governments are not weak or failing, Chayes argues in this paradigm-shifting 2015 book.
    Zephyr Teachout, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
  • The plan to tap geothermal energy answered the key question of power provision, getting around Africa’s chronically weak grids with the green, baseload electricity required for digital infrastructure.
    Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decrepit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decrepit. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on decrepit

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