Meanings
comparative more decrepit · superlative most decrepit · alternative obsolete decrepid
- Weakened or worn out from age or wear.
Sorrow is subdued by strong necessity; there is no cause why life should be lengthened for our love; and we feel that the worn and the decrepit do but go down into that grave which had received youth, health, beauty,—all that made existence precious—long before.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, pages 79–801 more example
Two entrants shared this award for their work on two quite different stations, but with the same purpose of bringing a redundant station building back into use for the benefit of the community, with the added result of conserving an historic building. Saltash Town Council bought Saltash station building after it had become very decrepit and 'an eyesore' - such that it was nearly pulled down to make way for housing.
2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards honour the best restoration projects: The Network Rail Community Award: Saltash and Stow”, in RAIL, number 946, page 58Synonyms: aged, timeworn, withered, deteriorated
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveWeakened or worn out from age or wear.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivelacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindēcrepitus“very old”
- Middle Frenchdécrépit
- Middle Englishdecrepyt
- Englishdecrepit
From Middle English decrepyt (ante 1439), from Middle French décrépit, from Latin dēcrepitus (“very old”), from crepō (“to creak”).
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans uitgeput
- uitgeputweakened or worn out
Ancient Greek βαθύγηρως
- βαθύγηρως (bathúgērōs)weakened or worn out
Arabic هَرِم
- هَرِم (harim)weakened or worn out
Bulgarian грохнал, вехт
- грохнал (grohnal)weakened or worn out
- вехт (veht)weakened or worn out
Catalan decrèpit
- decrèpitweakened or worn out
Chinese Mandarin 破舊 /破旧, 衰老
- 破舊 /破旧 (pòjiù)weakened or worn out
- 衰老 (shuāilǎo)weakened or worn out
- 老弱的 (lǎoruò de)weakened or worn out
Czech zchátralý, sešlý
- zchátralýweakened or worn out
- sešlýweakened or worn out
- vetchýweakened or worn out
Dutch versleten, afgedragen
- versletenweakened or worn out
- afgedragenweakened or worn out
Finnish kulunut, raihnainen
- kulunutweakened or worn out
- raihnainenweakened or worn out
French décrépit, décati
- décrépitweakened or worn out
- décatiweakened or worn out
German heruntergekommen, gammelig
- heruntergekommenweakened or worn out
- gammeligweakened or worn out
- gebrechlichweakened or worn out
- abgenutztweakened or worn out
- altersschwachweakened or worn out
- verbrauchtweakened or worn out
Hindi जर्जर
- जर्जर (jarjar)weakened or worn out
Icelandic farlama, örvasa
- farlamaweakened or worn out
- örvasaweakened or worn out
- hrumurweakened or worn out
Italian decrepito, barbogio
- decrepitoweakened or worn out
- barbogioweakened or worn out
- rincoglionitoweakened or worn out
Japanese やつれた
- やつれた (yatsureta)weakened or worn out
Latin dēcrepitus
- dēcrepitusweakened or worn out
Norwegian utslitt
- utslittweakened or worn out
Persian فرتوت
- فرتوت (fartut)weakened or worn out
Portuguese decrépito
- decrépitoweakened or worn out
Romanian decrepit, ramolit
- decrepitweakened or worn out
- ramolitweakened or worn out
Russian дря́хлый, не́мощный
- дря́хлый (drjáxlyj)weakened or worn out
- не́мощный (némoščnyj)weakened or worn out
- ве́тхий (vétxij)weakened or worn out
Spanish decrépito, destartalado
- decrépitoweakened or worn out
- destartaladoweakened or worn out
- venido a menosweakened or worn out
- ruinosoweakened or worn out
Swedish utsliten
- utslitenweakened or worn out
Ukrainian старий, зношений
- старий (staryj)weakened or worn out
- зношений (znošenyj)weakened or worn out
- ветхий (vetxyj)weakened or worn out
- дряхлий (drjaxlyj)weakened or worn out
Welsh musgrell, llegach
- musgrellweakened or worn out
- llegachweakened or worn out
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
decrepit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decrepit
“decrepit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decrepit. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “decrepit,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decrepit.
Source: decrepit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.