Definition Definition

derelict - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'derelict' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Derelict [ a.]
- Given up or forsaken by the natural owner or guardian; left and abandoned; as, derelict lands.
- Lost; adrift; hence, wanting; careless; neglectful; unfaithful.
2 . Derelict [ n.]
- A thing voluntary abandoned or willfully cast away by its proper owner, especially a ship abandoned at sea.
- A tract of land left dry by the sea, and fit for cultivation or use.

Meaning of 'derelict' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . derelict [ s]
Meaning (1):
- in deplorable condition
Example in sentence:
  • a broken-down fence;
  • a ramshackle old pier;
  • a street of bedraggled tenements;
  • a tumble-down shack
Meaning (2):
- worn and broken down by hard use
Example in sentence:
  • a creaky shack;
  • a decrepit bus...its seats held together with friction tape;
  • a flea-bitten sofa;
  • a run-down neighborhood;
  • a woebegone old shack
Meaning (3):
- failing in what duty requires
Example in sentence:
  • derelict (or delinquent) in his duty;
  • neglectful of his duties;
  • remiss of you not to pay your bills
Meaning (4):
- forsaken by owner or inhabitants
Example in sentence:
  • weed-grown yard of an abandoned farmhouse