derelict
/ˈdɛrəlɪkt
/adjective
1In a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect: a derelict Georgian mansion the barge lay derelict for years...
- The derelict condition of the Market House has been criticised by the town council.
- The majority of them were bought either in completely derelict condition, or as a collection of rusty parts.
- A call has been made to officials of the Town Council to take action against the owners of five houses which are in a derelict condition.
Synonyms
unsafe, dangerous, hazardous, perilous, precarious, insecure, treacherous;
dilapidated, ramshackle, run down, broken-down, worn out, tumbledown, in (a state of) disrepair, in ruins, ruined, falling to pieces, falling apart;
rickety, creaky, creaking, decrepit, deteriorating, crumbling, deteriorated;
neglected, untended, unmaintained, gone to rack and ruin, gone to seed, on its last legs, the worse for wear;
unhealthy, contaminated, unsound, infected, blighted, unwholesome, septic, rotten, bad
dilapidated, ramshackle, run down, broken-down, worn out, tumbledown, in (a state of) disrepair, in ruins, ruined, falling to pieces, falling apart;
rickety, creaky, creaking, decrepit, deteriorating, crumbling, deteriorated;
neglected, untended, unmaintained, gone to rack and ruin, gone to seed, on its last legs, the worse for wear
disused, abandoned, deserted, discarded, rejected, forsaken, cast off, relinquished, ownerless
2chiefly North American Shamefully negligent of one’s duties or obligations: he was derelict in his duty to his country...
- Some held the two local commanders derelict in their duty; others concluded that they were simply guilty of errors of judgment.
- What other cause finds you derelict in your responsibilities to your own people?
- In my view he would be derelict in his duty if he didn't have a contingency plan.
Synonyms
negligent, neglectful, remiss, lax, careless, sloppy, slipshod, slack, irresponsible, delinquent
noun
1A person without a home, job, or property: derelicts who could fit all their possessions in a paper bag...
- A group of vagabonds and derelicts inhabit a shelter in Moscow, presided over by a fanatical leader who preaches the love of everyone for everyone.
- Following a homeless ‘state of emergency’, the federal government created a $753-million fund to get derelicts across Canada out of the dirt and into an edifice.
- But the majority of menial workers and derelicts are, going by empirical evidence, first or second-generation immigrants with little in the way of hopes or prospects.
Synonyms
tramp, vagrant, vagabond, down and out, homeless person, drifter, person of no fixed address/abode, knight of the road;
beggar, mendicant;
outcast, pariah, ne'er do well, good-for-nothing, wastrel;
New Zealand streety
informal dosser, bag lady
North American informal hobo, bum
Australian/New Zealand informal derro
2A ship or other piece of property abandoned by the owner and in poor condition: she had been a derelict recommissioned for this journey...
- We ran into the docking bay and could not believe the decrepit derelict of a ship that he had waiting for us.
- If they can keep the boats from becoming derelicts, it means that much more money in the budget to do dredging and other debris removal.
- Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard has the authority to move derelicts that pose a hazard to navigation, but not to dispose of them.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin derelictus 'abandoned', past participle of derelinquere, from de- 'completely' + relinquere 'forsake'.
This is from Latin derelictus, the past participle of derelinquere ‘abandon’, from de- ‘completely’ and relinquere ‘forsake’, found also in relinquish (Late Middle English).