dereliction

[ der-uh-lik-shuhn ]

noun

1. deliberate or conscious neglect; negligence; delinquency:

   dereliction of duty.

2. the act of abandoning something.

   Synonyms: desertion

3. the state of being abandoned.
4. Law. a leaving dry of land by recession of the water line.

dereliction

/ ˌdɛrɪˈlɪkʃən /

noun

1. deliberate, conscious, or wilful neglect (esp in the phrase dereliction of duty )
2. the act of abandoning or deserting or the state of being abandoned or deserted
3. law
   1. accretion of dry land gained by the gradual receding of the sea or by a river changing its course
   2. the land thus left

Word History and Origins

Origin of dereliction¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin dērelictiōn- (stem of dērelictiō ) “an abandoning,” equivalent to dērelict(us) ( derelict ) + -iōn- -ion

Synonym Study

See neglect.

Example Sentences

Last year, a government commissioned report concluded Thurrock, which at the time was run by a Conservative administration, lost "substantial sums of public money" because of systemic weaknesses and a "dereliction" in leadership.

From BBC

He said: "The council took the hall over in the 1990s and in these last 20-plus years, it has fallen into complete dereliction, so for us to reverse that and restore the building to its former glory was an incredible challenge."

From BBC

McConnell had said that Trump’s conduct on 6 January was “a disgraceful dereliction of duty”, but he chose not to take the one step that could have conclusively ended the former president’s political career – perhaps out of fear of effectively ending his own.

From BBC

It would almost be a dereliction of duty if it were otherwise, but time is now running out to crystallise thoughts on what is arguably the biggest single decision the organisation has to take.

From BBC

“There is a dereliction of duty by the government in Los Angeles, in California,” she says in her video.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• evasion
• negligence