tatterdemalion

adjective

Definition of tatterdemalionnext
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

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatterdemalion
  1. dilapidated
  2. tattered
  3. neglected
  4. ragged
Adjective
  • Its current chapter as a travel venue is helmed by the Greene family, who bought the property in 2000 and began to restore it from a dilapidated state.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2026
  • Back at the dilapidated family home, Edgar grows even surlier, lashing into gentle-natured Joe for being an under-achiever compared to his brother and causing Thya to become apprehensive about Ed’s proximity to sharp objects.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
Definition of dilapidated
Adjective
  • The trailer finds the film’s protagonists alternately hunting or fleeing the vicious creature — or creatures — through a tattered town known as Hope Harbor, a remote coastal village near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in South Korea.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026
  • There was a phone book, camera film canisters, metal pins, the tattered remains of a baseball cap and an orange t-shirt with the outline of a giant thumbs up.
    — Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2026
Definition of tattered
Adjective
  • Investors and analysts are increasingly looking to other parts of the market, both to find neglected sources of value and to start assuming a defensive posture against a possible downturn.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • Changing their environment is more reliable and more neglected.
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of neglected
Adjective
  • Cool Machine, in places, is a detective novel for men on the other side of the law, who check hunches and double back on evidence and places of interest, chasing leads — and running themselves ragged.
    — Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026
  • But even ragged with a slippery ball, the Springboks still blanked Wales in successive matches for the first time since the first two matches in this rivalry, in 1906 and 1912.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Definition of ragged

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tatter
tatterdemalion
tattered
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Cite this Entry

“Tatterdemalion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatterdemalion. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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