dilapidated
adjective
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Something that is dilapidated may not have been literally pummeled with stones, but it might look that way. Dilapidated derives (via the English verb dilapidate) from dilapidatus, the past participle of the Latin verb dilapidare ("to squander or destroy"). That verb was formed by combining dis-, meaning "apart," with the verb lapidare, meaning "to pelt with stones." Other English descendants of lapidare include the verb lapidate ("to pelt or kill with stones") and the noun lapidary, which is used to refer to a person who cuts or polishes precious stones. Both words share as a root the Latin noun lapis, meaning "stone." We also find lapis in the name lapis lazuli, a bright blue semiprecious stone.
Synonyms
Examples of dilapidated in a Sentence
Richard Kuipers, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024
Her sweet idiot of a neighbor stood on the unlit front porch of his dilapidated brick rancher as the sun dipped below the horizon and shadows stretched to swallow him.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
In Aurora, the city leveled several criminal court summonses against Zev Baumgarten between 2022 and 2024 because of the properties’ dilapidated conditions and CBZ’s refusal to fix them, records show.
—Joe Rubino, The Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2024
During Trump’s first term, the U.S. government built less than 500 miles of border wall, and much of it replaced smaller, dilapidated barriers.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 3 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Dilapidated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilapidated. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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