1
as in neglectful
failing to give proper care and attention
the guards were judged derelict in their duty
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disused
left unoccupied or unused
purchased an old derelict mansion that was rumored to be haunted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bum
an idle worthless person
a section of the city that seemed to be frequented mostly by derelicts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of derelict
Wes Burdine, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
An old and derelict residential hotel in Detroit that was immortalized in a song by The White Stripes has been shut down by the city.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Tens of millions of lives have been upended from derelict disaster response, power outages, inhumane commute times, and the housing shortage.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Urban-centric, green-thinking locals are reinvigorating once derelict industrial neighborhoods, while outdoorsy transplants are moving in to take advantage of the city’s enviable position minutes from the mountains.
—Jeremy Pugh, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Mar. 2021
See All Example Sentences for derelict
Adjective
Just a few more blocks away is the derelict CVS that has become a lightning rod of neighborhood fury, a monument to gross neglect.
—Wes Burdine, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
An old and derelict residential hotel in Detroit that was immortalized in a song by The White Stripes has been shut down by the city.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Tens of millions of lives have been upended from derelict disaster response, power outages, inhumane commute times, and the housing shortage.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Urban-centric, green-thinking locals are reinvigorating once derelict industrial neighborhoods, while outdoorsy transplants are moving in to take advantage of the city’s enviable position minutes from the mountains.
—Jeremy Pugh, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Mar. 2021
See All Example Sentences for derelict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derelict
Adjective
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Sid lives in the town of Matakana with her single, sometimes-neglectful alcoholic father Leo (Noah Taylor), who wanted to be a painter but now mows the lawns of rich neighbors and visiting Auckland rich boys occupying the beachfront mansions nearby in Omaha.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Dysfunctional families can look many different ways, but typically are controlling, secretive, neglectful, and uncommunicative.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Under former Mayor Eric Kellogg, the city lost millions on a scheme to rehabilitate a disused hotel.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Understanding that Mandela’s liberation meant that white-minority rule was coming to an end, the founders trekked into the desert, bought a disused mining town wholesale, and established a colony.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Its silhoutte is relaxed but still makes sure to flatter your bum.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
24 Mar. 2026
-
As far as the law is concerned, though, bum deals are a twilight zone.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Longtime fans may recall that on Thanksgiving Night 2009, Woods’ Cadillac Escalade collided with a fire hydrant, tree and several bushes near his Central Florida home, and he was ticketed with careless driving.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
She was arrested in a bankruptcy case in 2013, arrested for careless driving in 2021 and arrested again in 2023 on suspicion of domestic violence and battery.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Alberto Rodríguez, 73, limped with a cane down a deserted industrial street.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
In his seventh feature collaboration with Scorsese, DiCaprio will join forces with Jennifer Lawrence, with the two playing a couple stranded in a deserted, snowy European town.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
So disguised as a beggar, Odysseus shows up at his palace, and he is not treated very nicely by the suitors who have camped out in his house.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Hollywood turned him into a beggar.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Black, white, colorful, graphic—the perfect baggy tee will hold your hand through low-key days at the office, weekends in the park, and your laziest bed-rot days.—
Kelsey Stiegman,
Glamour,
27 Mar. 2026
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The point is to get away from lazy (but practical) System 1 thinking and apply your brain’s full power to seeing through any fraud or deception.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The city has been overwhelmed in recent years by an influx of abandoned and stray dogs and puppies.—
Alyce McFadden,
San Francisco Chronicle,
13 Mar. 2026
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Antonia Noori Farzan The Providence Police Department is urging drivers to stay off the road, saying that stuck and abandoned cars are causing problems and preventing the city from getting back to normal.—
Eryn Dion,
The Providence Journal,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Derelict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derelict. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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