Synonyms of down-at-the-heels

down-at-the-heels

adjective

ˈdau̇n-ˌat-ṯẖə-ˈhēlz 

variants or down-at-heel also down-at-the-heel or down-at-heels

as in dilapidated

showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect

the stately mansion where he lives now is a far cry from the down-at-the-heels triple-decker in which he grew up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of down-at-the-heels

Nicolas Cage, in his first live-action television role, plays Ben Reilly, a down-at-the-heels private eye, spiking his morning coffee with whiskey helpfully provided by his knowing secretary, Janet (Karen Rodriguez), and barely scraping by on the occasional divorce case. — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026

Bar Bizarre and the next-door restaurant Ensō were tucked away in the courtyard of a crummy-looking building in a down-at-the-heels neighborhood. — Joshua Levine, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026

By late 2015, the otherwise down-at-the-heels Quebec shipyard was awarded a contract for modification of the MV Asterix, an auxiliary replenishment vessel. — Craig Hooper, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital, where secrets hide behind white picket fences. — Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 21 June 2024

Born 200 years ago in Wales to intellectually curious but down-at-the-heels parents, Wallace was forced to leave school at age 14. — Jennie Erin Smith, wsj.com, 14 Apr. 2023