decrepit
Falling to pieces
Decrepit describes something weakened and worn down by age or long use.
A decrepit building is falling apart; a decrepit old man shuffles and trembles.
The word suggests not just age but deterioration—systems failing, structures crumbling: The decrepit ferry somehow made another crossing.
It can be used humorously for things merely outdated: my decrepit flip phone.
Weak and breakable
- infirmWeak in body
- feebleWeak and ineffective
- enfeebledMade weak or feeble
- debilitatedMade weak or infirm
tottering · doddering · faltering · shaky · unsteady · trembling · sickly · ailing
Ruined through neglect
- rundownQuick overview of facts
- ramshackleBadly deteriorated from neglect
- tumbledownRuined through neglect
- crumblingBreaking down gradually
derelict · ruinous · shabby · decaying · blighted · disrepair · squalid · seedy
Eroded by exposure
- batteredDamaged by repeated blows
- tatteredRipped and worn out
- threadbareWorn until transparent
- moth-eatenDamaged by insect larvae
frayed · faded · patched · ragged · worn-out · timeworn · careworn · haggard
Left behind completely
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- forgottenNo longer recalled
- unattendedLacking supervision or care
- disusedNo longer in operation
overgrown · unkempt · disheveled · mothballed · desolate · vacant · dusty · rusty
frail
Weak and breakable
debilitated · tottering · doddering · faltering · shaky · unsteady · trembling · sickly · ailing · weakened
dilapidated
Ruined through neglect
- rundownQuick overview of facts
- ramshackleBadly deteriorated from neglect
- tumbledownRuined through neglect
crumbling · derelict · ruinous · shabby · decaying · blighted · disrepair · squalid · seedy · wrecked
weathered
Eroded by exposure
- batteredDamaged by repeated blows
- tatteredRipped and worn out
- threadbareWorn until transparent
moth-eaten · frayed · faded · patched · ragged · worn-out · timeworn · careworn · haggard · eroded
abandoned
Left behind completely
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- forgottenNo longer recalled
- unattendedLacking supervision or care
disused · overgrown · unkempt · disheveled · mothballed · desolate · vacant · dusty · rusty · neglected
- damageddamaged, broken, wrecked, ruined, destroyed
- property traitsspacious, cozy, rundown, dilapidated, vacant
- weakweak, feeble, frail, fragile, faint
- worn-outworn, shabby, tattered, threadbare, battered
- agingaging process, aging body, biological age, aging workforce, aging parents
- age descriptorsaged, elderly, old, young, youthful