as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
an old dog-eared copy of a beloved book
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Recent Examples of dog-eared
My esteemed coworkers in Vulture’s book Slack, in fact, suggested that copies of The Secret of Secrets should come pre-wrinkled and dog-eared, with salt stains and sand in the pages.
—
Emily Heller, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
Sometimes they’ve been torn, smudged, folded or dog-eared.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2025
My copies of these books are now dog-eared to death and as appropriately stained as favorite kitchen tools.
—Lisa Donovan, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Tampa Bay is still a very good team, even if a bit dog-eared around the edges of its elite personnel.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2023
Emily Heller, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
Sometimes they’ve been torn, smudged, folded or dog-eared.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2025
My copies of these books are now dog-eared to death and as appropriately stained as favorite kitchen tools.
—Lisa Donovan, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Tampa Bay is still a very good team, even if a bit dog-eared around the edges of its elite personnel.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dog-eared
Adjective
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Earlier this year, Saiz Bilbao arrived at a dilapidated building still under construction, its entrance via a seemingly endless stretch of stairs that led to a window-less hostel.—
Georgiana Ralphs,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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Now, charred and dilapidated buildings dot the small city center.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Few sights are as heart-wrenching as a neglected animal in need.—
Allison Moses,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Those plans were later abandoned during the pandemic and the house joined Denver’s neglected and derelict building list in 2024.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Nearly every panel of the shoe is tattered and torn, including a heel seam that’s coming undone and reveals the inner cork components of the shoe.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
30 Oct. 2025
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By the end of the summer my catalogs were tattered and worn.—
Neil Sperry,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dog-eared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dog-eared. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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