dog-eared

adjective

ˈdȯg-ˌird How to pronounce dog-eared (audio)
Definition of dog-earednext
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect an old dog-eared copy of a beloved book

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dog-eared The pages, for all the effort that has gone into preserving them, are a little dog-eared. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 2 June 2026 My esteemed coworkers in Vulture’s book Slack, in fact, suggested that copies of The Secret of Secrets should come pre-wrinkled and dog-eared, with salt stains and sand in the pages. — Emily Heller, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025 My copies of these books are now dog-eared to death and as appropriately stained as favorite kitchen tools. — Lisa Donovan, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dog-eared
  1. dilapidated
  2. neglected
  3. tattered
Adjective
  • This year alone, the Kansas City Fire Department has put out 24 fires in the vacant, dilapidated complex.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Velasco says corruption and low oil prices in the early 2000s contributed to the dilapidated state of Venezuela's facilities.
    — Willa Rubin, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of dilapidated
Adjective
  • Investors and analysts are increasingly looking to other parts of the market, both to find neglected sources of value and to start assuming a defensive posture against a possible downturn.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • Changing their environment is more reliable and more neglected.
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of neglected
Adjective
  • On a recent afternoon, the lanky, mustachioed Zucker, wearing a T-shirt, ballcap and small hoop earrings, bears little resemblance to his comic alter ego who sports a tattered suit with gag props stuffed in every pocket.
    — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • For weeks, migrants in the Spanish territory of Ceuta had gathered on a beach away from the city center, sleeping on cardboard sheets, under reed huts and guarding their few possessions in tattered plastic bags.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of tattered

Browse Nearby Words

dog days
dog-eared
dog-eat-dog
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dog-eared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dog-eared. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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