as in abandoned
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
She earns her living buying ramshackle homes, restoring them, and selling them at a profit.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ramshackle
On a May morning in 2012, a ramshackle walkway at a Southeast Austin apartment complex collapsed.
—
Ella McCarthy, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Prior to its recent resurgence, Detroit's Brush Park had been a sparsely populated neighborhood with large swaths of vacant lots amid a few ramshackle Victorian mansions.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 9 July 2025
Swannanoa still reeling In Swannanoa, just a few miles from Asheville’s cobblestone streets and Black Mountain’s bustling breweries, piles of debris and ramshackle homes still line the roads.
—Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2025
Later that day, they were moved to a ramshackle hut of metal and wood.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ramshackle
Ella McCarthy, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Prior to its recent resurgence, Detroit's Brush Park had been a sparsely populated neighborhood with large swaths of vacant lots amid a few ramshackle Victorian mansions.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 9 July 2025
Swannanoa still reeling In Swannanoa, just a few miles from Asheville’s cobblestone streets and Black Mountain’s bustling breweries, piles of debris and ramshackle homes still line the roads.
—Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2025
Later that day, they were moved to a ramshackle hut of metal and wood.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ramshackle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ramshackle
Adjective
-
Thousands of abandoned and derelict vessels around the US pose environmental and navigational challenges.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
-
The 33 towns being considered for this project, which are expected to meet final approval in the coming weeks, are all on the brink of extinction with the number of empty and abandoned houses outnumbering those that are inhabited.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Nick is a young father, struggling to make ends meet in his tumbledown home and feeding his family from foodbank donations.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
30 Aug. 2025
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Opened in 1935 as a barbecue market in a tumbledown former Lebanese grocery near the Fort Worth Stockyards, Joe T.’s now serves up to 2,000 diners at once across seven city blocks of dining and parking.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
The demolition of the former dilapidated Northridge Mall, which began last year, is finished.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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The restaurant is the joint labor of love for couple Wessie and Tradd Newton, who have stewarded the location from a dilapidated structure into a local institution.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Everything looks so rickety — this stadium wasn’t built for pandemonium like this.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Griff's was a cozy space inside with a small, rickety wooden patio in the front and a larger one in the back.—
Brianna Griff,
Chron,
13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces is continuing its operation to take control of Gaza City, the largest urban area in the Gaza Strip, despite international outcry over the deteriorated humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
29 Sep. 2025
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But with the deteriorated state, the possibility remains that the building may soon be auctioned off with no protection against demolition.—
Domenica Bongiovanni,
IndyStar,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ramshackle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ramshackle. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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