Synonyms of rickety

rickety

adjective

as in dilapidated

not strong or stable and likely to break

rickety stairs

a rickety old table

Related Words

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

Dissimilar Words

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rickety

When Ken Fulk and Kurt Wootton purchased what would become Durham Ranch—named after one of their dogs—the California wine country property was in disrepair, with a derelict 1940s ranch house and a handful of rickety outbuildings. — Mark David, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026

They will now be soldered together to form a financially rickety public hospital system. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 7 Feb. 2026

Along those lines, the rickety regional sports network model certainly is a concern, especially with the Giants owning a chunk of NBC Sports Bay Area. — Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Jan. 2026

The result was a gleaming skyscraper held up by some rickety wooden boards, duct tape, and magic. — Ian Stokes, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025