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
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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
-
There’s an absent father and a clueless, neglectful mother but the five Gilbert children — Lydia, Hugo, Annabel, Jeremy and Rosalind — are essentially raising themselves in an English country house of secret passages and worrying infestations.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Jan. 2026
-
There’s an absent father and a clueless, neglectful mother but the five Gilbert children — Lydia, Hugo, Annabel, Jeremy and Rosalind — are essentially raising themselves in an English country house of secret passages and worrying infestations.—
Chris Hewitt,
Boston Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
The Barnham site lies in a disused clay pit in Suffolk, UK, preserving traces of the period around 427,000 to 415,000 years ago.—
Jay Kakade
December 30,
New Atlas,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
As older leaders retire, the days of bums on seats five days a week are likely to fade with them.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Here, in the rugged, remote Santa Cruz Mountains, one of California’s coastal ranges, the counterculture had found one of its first bucolic, dharma-bum milieus.—
Scott Eden,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Andrew Sanders, 40, is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, assault and obstructing a peace officer, all misdemeanors, as well as careless driving and failing to stay in one lane, both traffic infractions.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Brooklyn got careless, committing nine turnovers in the quarter.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Plath, the deserted wife of fellow poet Ted Hughes, mother of two young children, died by suicide at age 30, leaving behind a collection of poems that anatomized her mental descent in scorching language that secured a permanent place in American letters.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Each season, the show, which debuted on Netflix in December 2021, leaves a dozen or so attractive single Koreans stranded on a deserted island with few resources.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hollywood turned him into a beggar.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
-
In the old days beggars were drawn and quartered in that square.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Their latest establishment is our top off-mountain pick for daily brunch (a great start to any lazy ski day) and Thursday-to-Saturday evening fare.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Specialty shops, coffee shops, boutiques and restaurants could share 200 acres of trails, pocket parks, wooded landscapes and a lazy creek with a combination of residential options.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The abandoned Westminster Mall has turned into a hotspot for vandalism since shuttering in late 2025, according to police who are attempting to raise awareness about the issue.—
Lesley Marin,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Rogers is shopworker Polly Parrish, who gets mistakenly identified as the parent of an abandoned baby.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Derelict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derelict. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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