derelict
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derelict
- /ˈdɛr.ə.lɪkt/ UK
- /ˈdɛɹəˌlɪk(t)/ US
Where it comes from
The adjective and verb are a learned borrowing from Latin dērelictus (“(completely) abandoned, deserted, forsaken; discarded”), the perfect passive participle of dērelinquō (“to abandon, desert, forsake; to discard”), from dē- (prefix meaning ‘away from; completely, thoroughly’) + relinquō (“to abandon, desert, forsake, leave (behind); to depart (from); to give up, relinquish”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave”). Doublet of relict, relic, and relinquish.
The noun is derived from the adjective.
adjective more derelict · most derelict
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Given up by the guardian or owner; abandoned, forsaken.
[T]heſe affections, vvhich theſe expoſed or derelict children bear to their Mothers, have no grounds of nature or aſſiduity but civility and opinion; […]
Similar: dropped, forlorn, abandoned, derelict, desert, deserted, desolate, discarded, forsaken, high and dry, left behind, orphaned
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Of a ship: abandoned at sea; of a spacecraft: abandoned in outer space.
There was a derelict ship on the island.
Similar: dropped, forlorn, abandoned, derelict, desert, deserted, desolate, discarded, forsaken, high and dry, left behind, orphaned
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Of property: in a poor state due to abandonment or neglect; dilapidated, neglected.
There is much sad evidence, too, of the spoliation and dereliction of vanished industry: tips, slag-heaps and derelict colliery-screens among which the ubiquitous, nomad mountain sheep graze unconcernedly.
Similar: crumbling, rundown, shabby, tacky, scroungy, mean, beat, beat up, beaten up, bedraggled, broken-down, derelict
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Adrift, lost.
Deprived of his guiding influence, they vvere vvhirled about, the ſport of every guſt, and eaſily driven into any port; and as thoſe vvho joined vvith them in manning the veſſel vvere the moſt directly oppoſite to his opinions, meaſures, and character, and far the moſt artful and moſt povverful of t
Similar: anchorless
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Negligent in performing a duty; careless.
The wrongs which we have suffered from Mexico are before the world, and must deeply impress every American citizen. A Government which is either unable or unwilling to redress such wrongs is derelict to its highest duties.
Similar: neglectful, unfaithful, careless, cursory, derelict, heedless, irregardless, irrespective, lash, lax, incautious, negligent
noun derelicts
- Property abandoned by its former guardian or owner; (countable) an item of such property. But often it must have happened in a course of centuries, that plague, small-pox, cholera, the sweating-sickness, or other scourges of universal Europe and Asia, would absolutely depopulate a region no larger than an island; […] In such cases, mere strangers would oftentimes enter upon the lands as
- Property abandoned at sea with no hope of recovery and no expectation of being returned to its owner; (countable) an item of such property, especially a ship. Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay; / It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the "Alice May." / And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum: / Then "Here," said I, with a sudden cry, "is my cre-ma-tor-eum."
- An abandoned or forsaken person; an outcast, a waif. And, think you, will the unkind ones hesitate / To try conclusions with my helplessness,— / To pounce on, misuse me, your derelict, / Helped by advantage that bereavement lends / Folks, who, while yet you lived, played tricks like these?
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A homeless or jobless person; a vagrant; also, a person who is (perceived as) negligent in their hygiene and personal affairs.
A very gratifying development of the work in this office has been the gradual improvement in the class and type of applicants. […] This improvement is due, in part to the arrangement with the Federal Employment office whereby the latter handles the common labor, in which group there is always a larg
Similar: bum, stiff, casual, clochard, derelict, dero, down-and-out, down-and-outer, drifter, epithite, floater, gadling
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A person who is negligent in performing a duty.
Similar: shirker
verb derelicts · derelicting · derelicted
- To abandon or forsake (someone or something). [H]e finds a poor young fellow, a famished, sick young man, derelicted of his master, and left for dead in the march, and by the means and conduct of this wretch, David recovers the enemy, recovers the spoil, recovers his honour, and the love of his people.
- To neglect a duty. [I]t has occurred to me, that where so momentous a point as the liberty of the subject is concerned, I should be derelicting from my duty, did I not avail myself of the assistance of His Majesty's law officer, where a doubt existed in my mind.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: forsaken, delinquent, neglectful, remiss, negligent, abandoned ship, discontinued, abandonment, deserted, desolate, wreck, disused, wreckage, dilapidated, destitute, abandoned
Translations
Every language
adj given up by the guardian or owner — see also abandoned, forsaken
| Español | derelicto |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 荒廢的 /荒废的 huāngfèi de |
| हिन्दी | जर्जर jarjar |
| Português | derrelicto, derelito, derrelito, abandonado |
| Français | abandonné, délaissé, (tombé) en ruines |
| Deutsch | aufgegeben, verfallen, verlassen |
| Italiano | abbandonato |
| Русский | бро́шенный bróšennyj, поки́нутый pokínutyj, бесхо́зный besxóznyj |
| Tiếng Việt | bỏ hoang |
adj negligent in performing a duty — see also careless, neglectful, unfaithful, negligent
| Español | derelicto |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 疏忽的 shūhū de |
| Português | negligente |
| Français | négligent |
| Deutsch | pflichtvergessen |
| Italiano | negligente, trascurato |
noun property abandoned by its former guardian or owner; item of such property
| Italiano | oggetto abbandonato, rifiuto |
|---|
noun person who is (perceived as) negligent in their hygiene and personal affairs
| Português | pessoa negligente |
|---|---|
| Italiano | persona negligente |
| Русский | отщепе́нец otščepénec |
noun property abandoned at sea with no hope of recovery and no expectation of being returned to its owner; item of such property
| Español | derrelicto |
|---|
noun ship abandoned at sea with no hope of recovery
| Português | derelito, derrelito |
|---|---|
| Français | épave, navire abandonné (en mer) |
| Deutsch | aufgegeben-ein verlassenes Schiff |
| Italiano | relitto |
noun abandoned or forsaken person — see also outcast
| Español | paria |
|---|---|
| Français | épave, paria, clochard |
| Italiano | derelitto, relitto della società |
| Русский | изго́й izgój, отве́рженный otvéržennyj |
Talk about this word "derelict." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/derelict. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. derelict. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/derelict "derelict." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/derelict.Cite this
@misc{derelict_2026,
title = {derelict},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/derelict},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
