decrepit
Americanadjective
-
weakened by old age; feeble; infirm.
a decrepit man who can hardly walk.
- Antonyms:
- vigorous
-
worn out by long use; dilapidated.
a decrepit stove.
adjective
-
enfeebled by old age; infirm
-
broken down or worn out by hard or long use; dilapidated
Related Words
See weak.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of decrepit
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin dēcrepitus, literally, “broken down,” equivalent to dē- de- + crep(āre) “to crack” + -i- -i- + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
That building falling down on the corner of your block? It's decrepit. So is the old man who lives there, if he is weak from age. Decrepit means broken down by hard use. Decrepit implies that something or someone is a weak, and run down — practically falling apart. It's really not a nice word to use about a person. If you are trying to say the same thing about a person, but more nicely, you might use the word, feeble, which means weak, but not disastrously falling apart.
Vocabulary lists containing decrepit
The Hunger Games
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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The Fault in Our Stars
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I took my iPhone and our decrepit vacuum into my workshop after supper, googled “Kenmore Progressive vacuum noisy” and found what I wanted—a YouTube video showing how to replace the motor bearings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Dimming the upbeat declarations is a harsh reality: It will likely take at least a decade — and perhaps $200 billion or more — to restore the country’s decrepit hydrocarbon infrastructure, experts say.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026
When the BBC visited in November, workers were busy knocking down a decrepit old barn, one of many that dot the Appalachian landscape.
From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025
In the end, the Mobutu era left few visible traces behind: a handful of palaces and monuments to the late dictator lie decrepit, while virtually no infrastructure from his time survives to this day.
From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025
He went straight to the dimly lit employee break room, where a sitcom rerun played on the decrepit TV.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
