DERELICTION Synonyms: 108 Similar and Opposite Words

dereliction

noun

ˌder-ə-ˈlik-shən

Definition of dereliction

as in abandonment

the act of abandoning the dereliction by the owners of a once flourishing orchard

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in negligence

failure to take the care that a cautious person usually takes the ski area was not held responsible for the injury on account of the skier's own manifest dereliction

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in neglect

the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action both sentries were to be court-martialed for dereliction of duty

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in weakness

a defect in character believes that society is guilty of a moral dereliction if it does not care for those unable to care for themselves

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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 dereliction Scott Quigley is another poster boy for MSP dereliction of duty. — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 30 June 2026 Internal affairs probe found multiple policy violations An internal investigation found Mercer violated four department policies, including dereliction of duty and conduct unbecoming of an officer. — Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 15 June 2026 This dereliction of duty from the current head of the office is costing the county tens of millions of dollars in lost interest. — Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026 From an ideological standpoint, the new flag was introduced at the exact time the citizens of this state were just getting a grip on the outrageously incompetent management of the state’s money, dereliction that allowed billions of their tax dollars to be lost to fraud. — Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for dereliction

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dereliction

Noun

Your husband’s abandonment was surely jarring, painful, and confusing.

— R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Your husband’s abandonment was surely jarring, painful and confusing.

— R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of abandonment

Noun

The jury determined that Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design or operation of their respective platforms, and that the negligence was a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Nuisance, negligence and harm to residents The largest set of claims in the lawsuit has to do with arguing that the data center damages residents’ health, futures and quality of life in the areas closest to the 400-acre hyperscale AI factory.

— Ilana Arougheti Updated August 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of negligence

Noun

If a bear market arrives shortly after retirement, a cash reserve can allow a family to meet expenses without immediately selling long-term investments into weakness.

— Steve Booren, Denver Post, 16 Aug. 2026
To be sure, efforts to prop up the yen were seen as short-term measures to address the symptoms rather than the root causes of the currency’s weakness.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of weakness

Noun

The core of the story is the desertion and betrayal of Roseanna McCoy by all concerned.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
Furthermore, the Ukrainian army is short-handed, facing around 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in January.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of desertion

Noun

Deadly fires, often linked to electrical faults or gas cylinder explosions, are common in India where investigators have frequently pointed to safety lapses and inadequate enforcement of fire regulations as contributing to recurring loss of life.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
If Russia behaved badly, that was the fault of its primitive and cruel Asian side, a notion that conveniently created the fiction that Western countries are not capable of similar cruelty.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of fault

Noun

That Chansiri squandered that vast backing can be listed among his abundant failings.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Rather than treating a tired parent’s short fuse as a personal failing, the research suggests sleep, stress and parenting operate as part of a larger system.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of failing

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Style

“Dereliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dereliction. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dereliction

noun

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