ramshackle

adjective

ram·shack·le ˈram-ˌsha-kəl How to pronounce ramshackle (audio)

: appearing ready to collapse : rickety

: carelessly or loosely constructed

a ramshackle plot

Did you know?

The Evolution of Ramshackle

Ramshackle has nothing to do with rams, nor the act of being rammed, nor shackles. The word is an alteration of ransackled, an obsolete form of the verb ransack, meaning "to search through or plunder." (Ransack comes from Old Norse words meaning "house" and "seek.") A home that has been ransacked has had its contents thrown into disarray, and that image may be what inspired people to start using ramshackle in the first half of the 19th century to describe something that is poorly constructed or in a state of near collapse. Ramshackle in modern use can also be figurative, as in "a ramshackle excuse for the error."

Example Sentences

The movie's ramshackle plot is confusing and not believable.

Recent Examples on the Web The job provided just enough to live on, so Adam found a bed in a ramshackle cabin on a wooded, 38-acre property owned by a carpenter named David Vincelette.

Dan Koeppel, Outside Online, 5 Sep. 2019 For a drink after the visit to Pigeon Key, the Sunset Grille and Raw Bar is a great ramshackle local watering hole, with modest prices and million-dollar views.

Tony Perrottet, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 Glock says ramshackle homeless encampments are bad for the housed, but also bad for the unhoused.

Nick Watt, CNN, 9 Aug. 2022 Whatever his feelings about the city, Mr. Russell felt a lifetime bond to the team that played in the ramshackle old barn on Causeway Street.

John Powers, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2022 The dusty road leading to Bhalswa is lined with ramshackle shops and gutters full of stagnant water.

Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022 Saturday morning, authorities said, nine migrants were taken into custody in Jupiter Island, just north of Palm Beach County, after arriving in a ramshackle rowboat.

Steve Svekis, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2022 Although Iraq’s remaining camps for the internally displaced have often grown ramshackle from lack of funding and neglect — the government closed most of them last year — the facility housing the al-Hol returnees is orderly and well run.

Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 5 July 2022 Their destination was Bunce Court, a ramshackle 17th-century country estate in Kent, England, that would serve as their new school.

Diane Cole, WSJ, 5 June 2022 See More

单词	ramshackle
释义	ramshackle adjective ram·shack·le ˈram-ˌsha-kəl 1 : appearing ready to collapse : rickety 2 : carelessly or loosely constructed a ramshackle plot Did you know? The Evolution of Ramshackle Ramshackle has nothing to do with rams, nor the act of being rammed, nor shackles. The word is an alteration of ransackled, an obsolete form of the verb ransack, meaning "to search through or plunder." (Ransack comes from Old Norse words meaning "house" and "seek.") A home that has been ransacked has had its contents thrown into disarray, and that image may be what inspired people to start using ramshackle in the first half of the 19th century to describe something that is poorly constructed or in a state of near collapse. Ramshackle in modern use can also be figurative, as in "a ramshackle excuse for the error." Example Sentences The movie's ramshackle plot is confusing and not believable. Recent Examples on the Web The job provided just enough to live on, so Adam found a bed in a ramshackle cabin on a wooded, 38-acre property owned by a carpenter named David Vincelette. Dan Koeppel, Outside Online, 5 Sep. 2019 For a drink after the visit to Pigeon Key, the Sunset Grille and Raw Bar is a great ramshackle local watering hole, with modest prices and million-dollar views. Tony Perrottet, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 Glock says ramshackle homeless encampments are bad for the housed, but also bad for the unhoused. Nick Watt, CNN, 9 Aug. 2022 Whatever his feelings about the city, Mr. Russell felt a lifetime bond to the team that played in the ramshackle old barn on Causeway Street. John Powers, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2022 The dusty road leading to Bhalswa is lined with ramshackle shops and gutters full of stagnant water. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022 Saturday morning, authorities said, nine migrants were taken into custody in Jupiter Island, just north of Palm Beach County, after arriving in a ramshackle rowboat. Steve Svekis, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2022 Although Iraq’s remaining camps for the internally displaced have often grown ramshackle from lack of funding and neglect — the government closed most of them last year — the facility housing the al-Hol returnees is orderly and well run. Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 5 July 2022 Their destination was Bunce Court, a ramshackle 17th-century country estate in Kent, England, that would serve as their new school. Diane Cole, WSJ, 5 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology alteration of earlier ransackled, from past participle of obsolete ransackle, frequentative of ransack First Known Use 1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition ramshackle adjective ram·shack·le ˈram-ˌsha-kəl : ready to fall down a ramshackle barn ramshackle adjective as in abandoned showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect She earns her living buying ramshackle homes, restoring them, and selling them at a profit. Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance abandoned tumbledown dilapidated rickety deteriorating deteriorated decaying rattletrap damaged rackety ruined neglected decrepit wrecked unkept godforsaken broken desolate dingy forlorn tattered tumbledown broken-down destroyed ragged bedraggled tired scruffy shabby dumpy worn-out tatty seedy mangy injured grungy scrubby impaired hurt tatterdemalion timeworn threadbare down-at-heel run-down harmed tacky ratty bombed-out down-at-the-heels beat-up sleazy miserable dog-eared down-at-the-heel moth-eaten down-at-heels mean Antonyms & Near Antonyms new fresh maintained brand-new reconstructed rebuilt spiffy kept-up patched mended cared-for spruce smart See More
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ramshackle

adjective

Did you know?

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

adjective