1
as in abandonment
the act of abandoning
the dereliction by the owners of a once flourishing orchard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in negligence
failure to take the care that a cautious person usually takes
the ski area was not held responsible for the injury on account of the skier's own manifest dereliction
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in neglect
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action
both sentries were to be court-martialed for dereliction of duty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in weakness
a defect in character
believes that society is guilty of a moral dereliction if it does not care for those unable to care for themselves
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dereliction
There are consequences for dereliction of duty.
—
Saul Elbein, The Hill, 4 Aug. 2025
The Taylor family arrived at their cabin to find it in a state of dereliction.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
One verdict is already declared in the Karen Read murder case: The Massachusetts State Police are guilty in the first degree of dereliction of duty.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 17 June 2025
What with weakened teams and consistently pathetic performances, their league form on both their parts has been pathetic enough to be termed a dereliction of duty.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dereliction
Saul Elbein, The Hill, 4 Aug. 2025
The Taylor family arrived at their cabin to find it in a state of dereliction.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
One verdict is already declared in the Karen Read murder case: The Massachusetts State Police are guilty in the first degree of dereliction of duty.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 17 June 2025
What with weakened teams and consistently pathetic performances, their league form on both their parts has been pathetic enough to be termed a dereliction of duty.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dereliction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dereliction
Noun
-
In some cases, that can be attributed to egregious abandonment or benign neglect.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo, who was the on-site commander at Robb Elementary School on the day of the shooting, and former school officer Adrian Gonzales, were charged in June 2024 with multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The immunity would not apply in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct by the dispatcher.—
Jessie Opoien,
jsonline.com,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The catching of a culprit—more than three decades after the fact, without forensic evidence or eyewitnesses—was heralded as an overdue reparation for police negligence and as a civil-rights milestone for Australia’s gay community.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the long, hot summer of 1967, uprisings broke out across more than 150 cities after years of police abuse, segregation, and neglect.—
Josiah Bates,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Jaguar stopped building the XK in 2014, and Infiniti quietly closed the coffin on the Q60 in 2022 after years of neglect.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
However, the effects on hiring may be blunted by persistent weakness in the labor market.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
JPMorgan adds SharkNinja to the focus list JPM said investors should buy the weakness in the consumer products company.—
Michael Bloom,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Putin said Ukraine’s armed forces had a grave lack of manpower and desertions, while Russia had enough soldiers.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Mobilization has stalled, with brigades undermanned, and desertion in the ranks is a mounting problem.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In early Christian thinking, its connotations of languor and listlessness, within the spirit no less than the body, lent it the status of a sin—a turning aside from God for the sake of earthly sorrow.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Nadal believes clay-court tennis at night is something like a sin against the sport, but 2020 was the first year in which Court Philippe-Chatrier held a session that went past darkness.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Who’s ultimately at fault here?—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
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Incidentally, their friend Jesus’ relapse a few years ago isn’t Lee’s fault, but, as Wendell reminds him, Lee was supposed to check on him that day.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Hamilton, convinced that salvaging his fiscal reputation required him to air his personal failings, published a lengthy tract, baring all.—
Jane Kamensky,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
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However, whatever his scholarly failings, Thorkelín had at least been responsible for two transcripts of the poem, and, as the manuscript itself had continued to deteriorate, chiefly by flaking of the brittle margins, these were a valuable record of the original.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dereliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dereliction. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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