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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of down-at-the-heels
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
The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel Photo: Courtesy of Tribeca Festival
How did a 1970s British soccer star disappear without a trace at the peak of his career and, years later, end up managing a down-at-the-heels West Hollywood motel in obscurity?
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 13 June 2025
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
Joshua Levine, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026
The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel Photo: Courtesy of Tribeca Festival
How did a 1970s British soccer star disappear without a trace at the peak of his career and, years later, end up managing a down-at-the-heels West Hollywood motel in obscurity?
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 13 June 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down-at-the-heels
Adjective
-
The city announced the move to the East Village in March, as part of the plan to close the dilapidated and sometimes violence-prone 30th Street center.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Its dilapidated state and lack of funding — just $25,000 was budgeted for programming by the city last year — prevents the facility from offering a full slate of services for residents.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For patients living with rare and neglected diseases, the next breakthrough treatment might already be sitting in a pharmaceutical company’s filing cabinet.—
Annette Bakker,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
-
When first performed at L.A. Opera a decade ago, the lavish production, co-produced with English National Opera, helped recover a neglected opera.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Down-at-the-heels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down-at-the-heels. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
