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
Marci Robin, Allure, 3 Sep. 2025
That was enough to buy him a space on a derelict dinghy, with some 70 others, hoping soon to see England’s white cliffs.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 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
Same thing should happen for the derelict Democrats.
—Mandy Taheri
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derelict
Adjective
Others have suggested the US is derelict for not banning TPO.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 3 Sep. 2025
That was enough to buy him a space on a derelict dinghy, with some 70 others, hoping soon to see England’s white cliffs.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 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
Same thing should happen for the derelict Democrats.
—Mandy Taheri
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derelict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derelict
Adjective
-
In June 2024, a U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a report that exposed the abusive and neglectful practices of youth residential treatment facilities like the fictional Tall Pines Academy.—
Erin McMullen,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
-
This film would have brought the Harlem Renaissance and its luminaries to far greater prominence, during an era that was often neglectful of that movement’s heroes—and of new Black artists, too, as Greaves himself experienced.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The piece is a collection of disused shoemaker boxes, once used by cobblers to keep tools, pressed against each other and stacked up, clambering toward the ceiling.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
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Whereas the final planned tumbleweed rovers would be 16 feet (five meter) across, in April 2025, Team Tumbleweed tested a half-size prototype called the Tumbleweed Science Testbed in a disused quarry in the Netherlands.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Cora planned for his players to test the right fielder’s bum elbow — the Red Sox always attack pinstriped vulnerabilities on the basepaths — and sure enough Nick Sogard turned a single into a double in the seventh because Judge can’t throw the ball.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Among them are South Korean’s CIA Director (Ryoo Seung-bum) and the Japanese Deputy Minister of Transport (Takayuki Yamada).—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Nigeria deserves solidarity in its fight against terror — not careless rhetoric that fuels misunderstanding.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Holmes and other legal professionals say there are common telltale signs of careless AI use, such as citations to nonexistent case law, filler language that was left in, and ChatGPT-style emoji or formatting that looks nothing like a typical legal document.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And though the visuals start calmly enough, with an old man puttering through a deserted city, the flashing blue, green, and red lights inject a jolt of madness that’s pushed into the surreal as the man confronts giant statue heads of the Weeknd and Moroder floating above the city.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Nghia lies in the center of the deserted town as his spirit is seemingly overtaken by Abel and Moroder, whose eyes mimic the colors of the lights surrounding them.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In Havana, beggars are ubiquitous.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Brando, the owner of an atoll in Tahiti, where his family dwelled, had become the beggar of Hollywood, who had to feed on crumbs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, the room service menu, which blended everything from soups and sandwiches to expansive plates, was a great option for breakfast in bed or a lazy lunch.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The action itself may feel lazy, but the result is trouble-free, straightforward cool.—
Cortne Bonilla,
Vogue,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Thousands of abandoned and derelict vessels around the US pose environmental and navigational challenges.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
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The 33 towns being considered for this project, which are expected to meet final approval in the coming weeks, are all on the brink of extinction with the number of empty and abandoned houses outnumbering those that are inhabited.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Derelict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derelict. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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