tatterdemalion

adjective

Definition of tatterdemalionnext
1
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect one of those tatterdemalion towns of the rust belt where the factories closed down decades ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tattered
wearing torn or worn-out clothes an ill-equipped, tatterdemalion army

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 tatterdemalion Overhanging his outer compound wall were the only two remaining shade trees in the citadel, one a dying oak, the other a mulberry tree, and within the compound was a tatterdemalion garden, where a scrawny pomegranate tree drooped with heavy fruit. — Rod Nordland, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatterdemalion
  1. dilapidated
  2. tattered
  3. neglected
  4. ragged
Adjective
  • Protests by high school students angry about dilapidated, understaffed schools have roiled France since mid-September.
    — JOHN LEICESTER, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • High schoolers are expressing broad grievances over schools that are under-resourced, with dilapidated facilities and insufficient staff, notably in lower-income neighborhoods.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of dilapidated
Adjective
  • Victoria Justice dressed up for her Halloween party in a distressed zombie look featuring a tattered black minidress and edgy boots.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In her translation, where papyri were tattered or a word obscured, Carson indicates this by using brackets and white space.
    — Amy Cannon, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tattered
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
  • Part of its purpose, from the beginning, was not only to deliver new facts but to interpret ragged events for a nervous audience of relatively prosperous, largely white viewers who shared Wallace’s concern about the shape and tenor of the future.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Our family teetered on the cusp of something ragged and broken.
    — Raj Panjabi, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of ragged

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tatterdemalion
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Cite this Entry

“Tatterdemalion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatterdemalion. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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