Synonyms of dog-eared

dog-eared

adjective

ˈdȯg-ˌird 

as in dilapidated

showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect

an old dog-eared copy of a beloved book

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dilapidated
• neglected
• tattered
• tatty
• scruffy
• mangy
• ragged
• shabby
• abandoned
• tired
• timeworn
• miserable
• tumbledown
• ratty
• desolate
• threadbare
• dumpy
• beat-up
• grungy
• seedy
• gone to seed
• scrubby
• tacky
• broken
• ruined
• moth-eaten
• sleazy
• down-at-the-heels
• run-down
• bombed-out
• damaged
• tatterdemalion
• mean
• unkept
• wrecked
• decrepit
• dingy
• deteriorated
• destroyed
• forlorn
• rickety
• bedraggled
• deteriorating
• ramshackle
• decaying
• broken-down
• worn-out
• godforsaken
• injured
• rackety
• impaired
• hurt
• rattletrap
• harmed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• new
• brand-new
• fresh
• maintained
• kept-up
• reconstructed
• mended
• patched
• rebuilt
• spiffy
• cared-for
• smart
• spruce

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dog-eared

The pages, for all the effort that has gone into preserving them, are a little dog-eared. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 2 June 2026

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

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