as in dilapidated
not strong or stable and likely to break
rickety stairs a rickety old table
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Recent Examples of rickety
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
Instead of rickety outdoor patios with plastic partitions, diners mostly ate in dining rooms.
—Nick Kindelsperger, Chicago Tribune, 28 Dec. 2022
At least 185 men, women and children disembarked from a rickety wooden boat Monday at dusk on Ujong Pie beach at Muara Tiga, a coastal village in Aceh’s Pidie district, said local police chief Fauzi, who goes by a single name.
—Rahmat Mirza, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for rickety
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
Instead of rickety outdoor patios with plastic partitions, diners mostly ate in dining rooms.
—Nick Kindelsperger, Chicago Tribune, 28 Dec. 2022
At least 185 men, women and children disembarked from a rickety wooden boat Monday at dusk on Ujong Pie beach at Muara Tiga, a coastal village in Aceh’s Pidie district, said local police chief Fauzi, who goes by a single name.
—Rahmat Mirza, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for rickety
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rickety
Adjective
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But these Brown and Black immigrants were usually segregated into dilapidated apartments in the region’s oldest housing stock.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The guy handed Gary some cash and Stewart disappeared into a dilapidated trailer.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In a few short years, Prager had carved out an expansive life as a Caribbean kingpin, transforming the ramshackle smuggling operation into a sophisticated, multicrew organization that moved tens of thousands of pounds of pot.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
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Later, orange lanterns carrying well-wishes floated toward the stars, mingling with the distant strains of Lao ditties from the karaoke machines of the ramshackle bars that lined the banks.—
Chris Schalkx,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rickety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rickety. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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