1
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
one of those tatterdemalion towns of the rust belt where the factories closed down decades ago
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tattered
wearing torn or worn-out clothes
an ill-equipped, tatterdemalion army
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tatterdemalion
Overhanging his outer compound wall were the only two remaining shade trees in the citadel, one a dying oak, the other a mulberry tree, and within the compound was a tatterdemalion garden, where a scrawny pomegranate tree drooped with heavy fruit.
—
Rod Nordland, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2017
Rod Nordland, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatterdemalion
Adjective
-
This Milwaukee program takes dilapidated houses, acquired by the city through property tax foreclosure, and rehabs them for new home buyers.—
Steven Martinez,
jsonline.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Such as dilapidated neighborhoods, toxic air, unkept public parks, failing infrastructure, unreliable public transportation and low wages.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Elsewhere, Jenna Ortega’s tattered Christian Cowan slip dress featured a thigh-high slit that would make Jolie proud.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
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The green cornice crowning the roofline had begun to fade, while layers of black paint and tattered posters peeled from the building’s exterior.—
Jessica Alvarado Gamez,
Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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His refusal to weaponize suffering is one of his most important — and most neglected— lessons.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The department issued heavy fines and ultimately shuttered a neglected building in Denver’s uptown neighborhood last year that was owned by CBZ Management.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Use clean, sharp pruners to cut a smooth edge right above a living bud, lateral branch, or along the trunk where there is a ragged break.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
22 Feb. 2026
-
In the absence of pro hoops, ABC found itself with a ragged hole in its Sunday afternoon schedule, which an exec named Dick Button proposed to fill by way of a new show titled The Superstars.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tatterdemalion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatterdemalion. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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