1
as in abandonment
the act of abandoning
the dereliction by the owners of a once flourishing orchard
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
On Friday, the regular session ended with no action on a state budget, a dereliction of duty that’s becoming increasingly common.
—
Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
On Friday, the regular session ended with no action on a state budget, a dereliction of duty that’s becoming increasingly common.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The Arizona Republic cites records obtained from the El Paso PD that purportedly include allegations of insubordination, insufficiency, tardiness, and numerous disciplinary reviews related to accusations of excessive force, dereliction of duty, and off-duty gambling.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
This plan, during such a critical period, is nothing less than a dereliction of duty and a further sign of how the Congressional majority is content to be subservient to this administration.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dereliction
Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
On Friday, the regular session ended with no action on a state budget, a dereliction of duty that’s becoming increasingly common.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The Arizona Republic cites records obtained from the El Paso PD that purportedly include allegations of insubordination, insufficiency, tardiness, and numerous disciplinary reviews related to accusations of excessive force, dereliction of duty, and off-duty gambling.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
This plan, during such a critical period, is nothing less than a dereliction of duty and a further sign of how the Congressional majority is content to be subservient to this administration.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dereliction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dereliction
Noun
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Building on its successful rollout in Brazil, Juspay is expanding Click to Pay globally to eliminate manual card entry, which minimizes checkout friction, reduces cart abandonment and boosts conversion rates.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
4 June 2026
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Leonard previously pleaded guilty to abandonment of a corpse for dumping the boy’s body in Bates County, Missouri, and was sentenced to four years, though the new case records have not been made available on the Kansas Judicial Branch public database.—
Ian Cummings,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Rental companies are typically responsible for mechanical breakdowns that aren’t caused by customer negligence or misuse.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
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Florida accused OpenAI of four counts of deceptive and unfair trade practices, two counts of negligence, two counts of violating product liability laws, one count of fraudulent misrepresentation and another count of causing a public nuisance.—
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Noun
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He has previously been arrested for charges including terroristic threats, assault, child neglect and fraud.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
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Latana Williams, 27, was arrested and charged with child neglect, a first-degree felony.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Spending has held up, and the economy hasn’t shown the kind of demand collapse that typically accompanies recession-level income weakness.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
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Oftentimes, people associate apologizing too much as a sign of incompetence, weakness or even behavior that’s annoying.—
Avni Trivedi,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The core of the story is the desertion and betrayal of Roseanna McCoy by all concerned.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
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Furthermore, the Ukrainian army is short-handed, facing around 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in January.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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My youth was my downfall, my sin love, and the go-between a snowy day.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
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For pilgrims, Hajj, performed over five days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins.—
Baraa Anwer,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Noun
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California has over 500 active faults, but scientists cannot predict when earthquakes will occur.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
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The investigation hasn’t definitively concluded that Vision Media is at fault.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Noun
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The director explains that there’s a very real weight stigma that exists in society and that due to that it’s often suggested that being in a larger body is somehow a moral failing.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
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Mary disrupts Clark’s equilibrium with the Backrooms by refusing to validate his excuses for his behavior, fully calling out his failings, his petty assholery, and his glib, solipsistic lies.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dereliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dereliction. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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