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
• desolate
• decrepit
• abandoned
• sleazy
• down-at-the-heels
• run-down
• dog-eared
• forlorn
• bombed-out
• dingy
• ruined
• moth-eaten
• 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

And third, after years of gerrymandering and Republican consolidation of power, the Democratic turnout machine is exceedingly rickety. — Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 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