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
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
Rod Nordland, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatterdemalion
Adjective
-
Next to a dormant pumpkin farm, the factory, which had once made tubing for hoses, had burned in the nineties; all that remained were four dilapidated and grafittied walls.—
Megan Cummins
August 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
-
The demolition of the jail this year opened the door to redeveloping the dilapidated building.—
Alysa Guffey,
IndyStar,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
Regional sports networks, once a gusher for programmers and operators, have been in a tattered financial state due to cord-cutting.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
6 Aug. 2025
-
On a visit to another small Ok. town, Cox spied a tattered awning that said Country Bird, which was the perfect name for her bakery.—
Gary Stern,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
Close the Loop Following through on commitments is the simplest and yet shockingly most neglected way to earn long-term trust.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
But its location in the neglected and overgrown space remains a mystery.—
Laura L. Davis,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
In-ho rolls down his window and looks into the alley, where a man in ragged clothes is playing ddakji with a woman (Blanchett) in a pristine gray suit.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
29 June 2025
-
The breaks in these branches were more ragged and irregular.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tatterdemalion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatterdemalion. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share