derelict1 adjectivederelict2 noun
derelictder‧e‧lict1 /ˈderəlɪkt/ adjective 
Word OriginWORD ORIGINderelict1
ExamplesOrigin:
1600-1700 Latin derelictus, past participle of derelinquere ‘to leave something you are responsible for’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- derelict homes and businesses
- In the middle of town is a derelict building that used to be the school.
- The land behind the factory is stony and derelict.
- An' the entire derelict bloody city an' all.
- It includes derelict factories and some of the poorest housing in the country.
- Now they've been given a derelict school building, gutted by fire, for their new community association.
- Sandra paints from photographs she takes of old, often derelict buildings.
- The derelict PBYs were thoroughly exploded for the film.
- The site has been derelict since the 1960s, when the old gas works was demolished.
- This had become a wilderness of weeds and bushes but hidden deep inside was a derelict conservatory demanding to be restored.
- Today the site of the Mill is derelict.
Longman Language Activatorbuildings or places in bad condition► in bad condition
Collocations also in a bad state especially British · It's a lovely city, but most of the buildings are in very bad condition.· Considering the bad condition the place is in, the price seems much too high.· The inspectors said the bridge was in a bad state and potentially dangerous.be in a terrible/dreadful etc condition · The house really is in an awful condition - it would cost far too much to repair.
► dilapidated a building that is dilapidated is in very bad condition because it has not been looked after or has not been repaired for a long time: · We stayed in an old, dilapidated hotel with a leaky roof.· Jesse was raised in a large, dilapidated house on the East Side.· Some of the old homes in Newville are well kept, but others are dilapidated.
► run-down a run-down area of a town is one in which the buildings and roads are all in bad condition, especially because the people who live there do not have enough money to look after them properly: · Since the textile company moved out, the area's gotten very run-down.· The men were hiding in an abandoned theater in a run-down part of the city.
► derelict something, such as a house or piece of land, that is derelict is in very bad condition because it has been empty and not used for a very long time: · In the middle of town is a derelict building that used to be the school.· The land behind the factory is stony and derelict.
► ramshackle a building that is ramshackle is in very bad condition and looks as though it is likely to fall down, especially because it was badly built, with cheap materials: · No one had lived in the ramshackle farmhouse for years.
► crumbling a crumbling building or wall is breaking into pieces because it is very old and damaged by the weather: · Tourists wandered through the crumbling remains of an ancient Greek temple.· Elvira lived on a street of old townhouses with crumbling façades.
► tumbledown especially British: tumbledown building/ house/cottage etc use this about a building that is old and beginning to fall down, especially in a way that seems attractive: · We arrived at a tumbledown cottage, surrounded by overgrown rose bushes and a broken fence.· The college was a collection of tumbledown old buildings in Paddington.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a derelict building
a derelict building or piece of land is in very bad condition because it has not been used for a long time (=empty and in very bad condition)· Near the canal there are a number of derelict buildings.
► vacant/derelict land British English (=unused)· The houses could be built on derelict land.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN► building· Sandra paints from photographs she takes of old, often derelict buildings.· The latter was now a veritable ghost town with its derelict buildings holding up false-front facades in the fashion of Hollywood sets.· In adjacent streets, there are disused and even derelict buildings which would far better repay investment.· Hotel deal Mr Pratt said they have already bought and renovated another derelict building in the same area.· I mean people who are sleeping in parks and doorways, in derelict buildings and under railway arches.· Development plan policies should also encourage the reuse of derelict buildings.
► house· He heard a click and stepped back quickly as the bolt thudded into the wall of the derelict house behind him.· It had also kept him from going back to his derelict house in the scrap yard and taking Dooley with him.· Over his shoulder she was looking at the derelict house.· Every where it forms thickets: on derelict houses, along roadsides, on wasteground.· We spent several nights there in a derelict house without a roof.· The former had come to Chant in a derelict house in Clerkenwell; about that there was no ambiguity.
► land· Where possible we use derelict land first - for instance this estate here was built on the site of a factory.· Looks at patterns of development, the approach of house builders to derelict land, and brownfield risk analysis.· The new facilities will be sited in a former rundown building in Main Street and on adjoining derelict land.· But one has to be careful, a piece of derelict land can be like a magnet in attracting further dereliction.· Maybe if they had we would have transformed a piece of derelict land.· They involve a variety of practical conservation activities - energy-saving, waste recycling and the greening of derelict land.· And whilst derelict land supports the activities of man it provides a home for plants and animals.
► site· This must be coupled with the creation of an attractive environment, through the transformation of derelict sites.· Glasgow's industrial history has left many large derelict sites.· Margaret Thatcher's governments encouraged the old nationalised industries to sell derelict sites which retailers snapped up for building superstores.· He thought of the derelict site and the broken wall.· A young man walked across the derelict site and hesitated as he reached Tony's car.
derelict1 adjectivederelict2 noun
derelictderelict2 noun [countable] ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
Thesaurus- Dons were no longer the comic derelicts that flit through Victorian fiction or the novels of Evelyn Waugh.
- He seemed to take for granted that she would share his views on the derelicts.
- Most witches were women, often aged derelicts who wielded great influence over the people.
- The neighborhood is dominated by the Waterloo train station and peopled by derelicts late at night.
- The park was swarming with students and drug dealers, tourists and derelicts.
THESAURUSin bad condition► in (a) bad/terrible/awful condition
Collocations (also in a bad state especially British English) if something is in bad condition, it is damaged, dirty, not working properly, etc: · The road was in a very bad condition.· The inspectors said the bridge was in a bad state and potentially dangerous.
► shabby used especially about clothes, furniture, or buildings that are in bad condition because they are old and have been used a lot: · His clothes were shabby and ill-fitting.· They lived in a shabby one-room apartment.
► tattered used about clothes or books that are old and torn: · The old man clutched a tattered copy of ‘War and Peace’.· The shirt was now tattered beyond recognition.
► dilapidated used about a building that is in very bad condition because it has not been looked after: · He shared a dilapidated house with five other people.· The hotel looked slightly dilapidated.
► run-down used about a building or area that is in bad condition, especially because the people who live there do not have enough money to look after it properly: · He found lodgings at a run-down motel.· We lived in a run-down part of the city.
► derelict used about something such as a house or piece of land that is in very bad condition, because it has been empty for a very long time: · In the middle of town is a derelict building that used to be the school.· The land behind the factory is stony and derelict.
► battered used about something that is old and in bad condition because it has been used a lot and treated roughly: · There was nothing in his office except for a few battered chairs.· Alex and Lisa used to drive around town in a battered old Fiat Uno.
► rickety used about furniture and other structures that are in such bad condition that they look as if they would break if you tried to use them: · The staircase was old and rickety.· They sat around the card table on rickety old chairs.· a rickety bamboo fence
► clapped-out British English informal, beat-up American English informal [usually before noun] used about a vehicle or machine that is so old that it does not work properly: · She drives an old beat-up Ford.· He was using a clapped-out old typewriter.
► be falling apart especially spoken if something is falling apart, it is gradually breaking into pieces, because it is old or badly made: · I need some new shoes. These are falling apart.
► be on its last legs informal if a vehicle or machine is on its last legs, it has been used so much and is in such bad condition that you will soon not be able to use it anymore: · The washing machine was on its last legs.
► have seen better days informal if something has seen better days, it is not in as good condition as it was: · The carpets, curtains, and cushions had all seen better days but still looked quite pretty.· She lived in an old Victorian house that had certainly seen better days.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a derelict building
someone who has no money or home, lives on the streets, and is very dirty – used to show disapproval (=empty and in very bad condition)· Near the canal there are a number of derelict buildings.
► vacant/derelict land British English (=unused)· The houses could be built on derelict land.