decrepit

[ dih-krep-it ]

adjective

1. weakened by old age; feeble; infirm:

   a decrepit man who can hardly walk.

   Antonyms: vigorous

2. worn out by long use; dilapidated:

   a decrepit stove.

decrepit

/ dɪˈkrɛpɪt /

adjective

1. enfeebled by old age; infirm
2. broken down or worn out by hard or long use; dilapidated

Derived Forms

• deˈcrepiˌtude, noun
• deˈcrepitly, adverb

Other Words From

• de·crepit·ly adverb
• de·crepit·ness noun
• unde·crepit adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrepit¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrepit¹

C15: from Latin dēcrepitus, from crepāre to creak

Synonym Study

See weak.

Example Sentences

That should motivate progress on long-standing needs such as closing the dangerously decrepit Men’s Central Jail and diverting qualified inmates to rehabilitation facilities; addressing problems in the child welfare system; and providing adequate substance abuse and mental health treatment.

From Los Angeles Times

“City and county employees are still hard at work in their office spaces but they’re tired, old, sometimes decrepit and oftentimes no longer up to code in terms of earthquake” safety requirements.

From Los Angeles Times

The Trump campaign fired back at those comments on Monday on Fox News, saying “the only thing deteriorating is Nancy Pelosi, who is a decrepit washed up corrupt politician who America can no longer stand ... she should go back to the City of San Francisco, which she has totally destroyed, and never return.”

From Salon

As a result, the once-proud dining shed had deteriorated into what New York magazine critic Justin Davidson called the “decrepit streetery era.”

From Slate

Passages that inspired Christians to open settlement houses to shelter poor city dwellers and join union picket lines to fight against decrepit working conditions also formed the core of Martin Luther King Jr.'s argument that pastors cannot preach the glories of heaven while ignoring the earthly hell of racialized oppression.

From Salon

Related Words

• battered
• broken-down
• creaky
• dilapidated
• feeble
• flimsy
• frail
• infirm
• ramshackle
• rickety
• run down
• seedy
• shabby