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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dereliction
His dereliction of duty could be considered malfeasance and disqualification from running.
—
Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
Central Park, after sliding into dereliction through the 1970s, now tends to itself, thanks to a private conservancy, wealthy neighbors, and its superstar status.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 9 Sep. 2025
Three Army Reserve leaders were disciplined for dereliction of duty.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
There are consequences for dereliction of duty.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dereliction
Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
Central Park, after sliding into dereliction through the 1970s, now tends to itself, thanks to a private conservancy, wealthy neighbors, and its superstar status.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 9 Sep. 2025
Three Army Reserve leaders were disciplined for dereliction of duty.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
There are consequences for dereliction of duty.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dereliction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dereliction
Noun
-
Early abandonment by his mother, careful treatment from local zookeepers and instant social media fame.—
Rebecca Ramirez,
NPR,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Some were told to practice more self-care, as if a yoga class could fix a neurodevelopmental condition compounded by systemic abandonment.—
Sarah Oreck,
SELF,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In most cases, state law limits a school district’s total liability to $200,000 per individual and $300,000 per incident for most negligence cases.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
-
This was two weeks of willful negligence and abuse.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Residents of Syracuse, New York — America’s snowiest city — once barraged a service hotline with street neglect complaints during blizzards, even if plows had passed two hours earlier but the work was hidden by fresh snow.—
Jeff McMurray,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Separately, she was sentenced to two years in state prison for child neglect.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These were analyzing their own strengths and opponents’ weaknesses, forecasting what steps the opponents would take, and making a decision on what to do next.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
-
For the luxury industry, the stakes extend well beyond the immediate disruption as missiles light up the skies over the region that many hoped would help offset offset weakness in China and deliver the sector’s next chapter of growth.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The officer said there have been an undetermined number of desertions among Cuban personnel, with some seeking to remain in Venezuela rather than return to the island.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Sabogal was arrested and charged with 1 count of child neglect and two counts of desertion of a child.—
Nikiya Carrero,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On one hand, no one ever wants to repeat the Dolphins’ sin of passing over Drew Brees in free agency in 2006.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
All of these are sins that Trump would likely understand.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The defense is flawed, the government argued, because Song is not free from fault in prompting Gross’ use of force and the defense cannot show Gross’ pointing his gun at the fleeing person was objectively unreasonable under the circumstances.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated March 5,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
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Restaurant operators acknowledged their own faults for lengthening the permit process, including by providing incorrect or incomplete information, according to the report.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In Islamic ethical and theological usage, amanat denotes not only material custody but also the faithful discharge of obligations and promises, and betrayal of amanat is viewed as a serious ethical failing.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
-
If Iranians haven’t risen up to seize control by then, that could be portrayed as their failing, not Trump’s.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dereliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dereliction. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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