ramshackle

adjective

ram·​shack·​le ˈram-ˌsha-kəl How to pronounce ramshackle (audio)
1
: appearing ready to collapse : rickety
2
: carelessly or loosely constructed
a ramshackle plot

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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."

Examples of ramshackle in a Sentence

The movie's ramshackle plot is confusing and not believable.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The treasure trove included the rarest of rare examples from Lamborghini, Porsche, Ferrari, and Mercedes-Benz, stored in various states of disrepair, either in ramshackle steel sheds or out in the open. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2024 Baker tours the ramshackle, bilingual American dream of ethnic rivalries between Russians and Armenians and belligerent working-class youths addicted to sneakers and video games. Armond White, National Review, 18 Oct. 2024 The Palestinian town is next to a ramshackle Israeli settler outpost known as Evyatar. Avery Schmitz, CNN, 7 Sep. 2024 Just a mile to the southeast lies the ramshackle Santa Cruz cemetery, where in 1991 at least 250 unarmed civilians were massacred by Indonesian troops. Charlie Campbell / Dili, Timor-Leste, TIME, 4 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ramshackle 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ramshackle was in 1830

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Dictionary Entries Near ramshackle

Cite this Entry

“Ramshackle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ramshackle. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ramshackle

adjective
ram·​shack·​le ˈram-ˌshak-əl How to pronounce ramshackle (audio)
: looking ready to fall down
a ramshackle old barn
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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