dilapidate
Crumble into ruin
To dilapidate is to fall into disrepair or cause something to decay through neglect.
Buildings dilapidate when left unattended; owners dilapidate property by failing to maintain it.
The adjective dilapidated is far more common than the verb: a dilapidated farmhouse, dilapidated equipment.
The word suggests gradual deterioration rather than sudden destruction.
Fragment gradually
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- disintegrateBreak into fragments
- decomposeBreak into simpler parts
- collapseSudden structural failure
erode · rot · corrode · fragment · shatter · fracture · splinter · molder
Badly deteriorated from neglect
- tumbledownRuined through neglect
- derelictAbandoned or neglectful
- decrepitWorn by age
- crumblingBreaking down gradually
rickety · ruined · condemned · uninhabitable · gutted · shell · hulk · relic
Poor maintained condition
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- disuseCessation of practice
- negligenceFailure to exercise care
- inattentionLack of focus
carelessness · overlook · ignore · deferred · unkempt · shabby · rundown · slackness
Abandon completely
- vacateLeave a place empty
- desertTo leave behind completely
- leaveSanctioned time away
- relinquishVoluntarily give up control
vacant · uninhabited · empty · ghostly · forgotten · dispossessed · castoff · desolate
crumble
Fragment gradually
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- disintegrateBreak into fragments
- decomposeBreak into simpler parts
collapse · erode · rot · corrode · fragment · shatter · fracture · splinter · molder · fester
ramshackle
Badly deteriorated from neglect
- tumbledownRuined through neglect
- derelictAbandoned or neglectful
- decrepitWorn by age
crumbling · rickety · ruined · condemned · uninhabitable · gutted · shell · hulk · relic · wreck
disrepair
Poor maintained condition
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- disuseCessation of practice
- negligenceFailure to exercise care
inattention · carelessness · overlook · ignore · deferred · unkempt · shabby · rundown · slackness · remissness
forsake
Abandon completely
relinquish · vacant · uninhabited · empty · ghostly · forgotten · dispossessed · castoff · desolate · forsaken
- dilapidated houseBadly deteriorated dwelling