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.
Examples of dilapidated in a Sentence
Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 10 Feb. 2025
They were forced to live in dilapidated buildings with mold, sewage, and rodent issues, and were confined to their rooms for weeks on end.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025
For nearly a thousand days, a small group convened in the shadow of the dilapidated building, waiting for Donald Trump to get reëlected, and then pardon their family members.
—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
The dilapidated lodge is gone, replaced by town homes.
—Keith Schneider, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dilapidated
Cite this Entry
“Dilapidated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilapidated. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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