1
as in abandonment
the act of abandoning
the dereliction by the owners of a once flourishing orchard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in neglect
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action
both sentries were to be court-martialed for dereliction of duty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
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
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Recent Examples of dereliction
Fear of Trump’s anger is no excuse for dereliction of duty.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2025
Lawmakers diagnosed that the principal government dereliction had been the failure to ensure that intelligence was shared across agencies.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 1 Mar. 2025
Here, dereliction was kept at bay: the corridors were bright, broom-swept, and freshly painted.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Salvini was acquitted of kidnapping and dereliction of duty charges in December 2024.
—Ronald Niezen, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dereliction
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2025
Lawmakers diagnosed that the principal government dereliction had been the failure to ensure that intelligence was shared across agencies.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 1 Mar. 2025
Here, dereliction was kept at bay: the corridors were bright, broom-swept, and freshly painted.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Salvini was acquitted of kidnapping and dereliction of duty charges in December 2024.
—Ronald Niezen, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dereliction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dereliction
Noun
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Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home from either abuse, abandonment or neglect.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2025
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Over the past week, the attorneys laid out their case that childhood abuse by his father and an uncle left Ramos battered and traumatized, while his mother’s departure for Singapore to find work resulted in powerful feelings of abandonment.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Other potential claims could include intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and negligence.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Judge Jorge Ortiz denied Smith & Wesson’s motions to dismiss counts of unfair business practices and negligence but granted a motion to dismiss allegations around deceptive business practices in a 34-page decision.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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People who’ve grown up with difficult family dynamics, emotional neglect or trauma may find comfort in someone who has walked a similar path.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Biden administration officials said the staffing rule was intended to limit cases of resident neglect or delays in care.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Fashion chains attributed some of that weakness to cold weather and were clearly crossing their fingers and hoping the trend changed with the weather.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
28 Mar. 2025
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This comes as investors are anxious about how his retaliatory tariffs will affect the broader U.S. economy, which is already showing some signs of weakness.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The figure includes deaths, debilitating injuries—and desertions, nearly 10 percent of the total.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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Death in a hail of bullets has been used to punish mutinies and desertion in armies, as frontier justice in America’s Old West, and as a tool of terror and political repression in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Landing in the bottom are Henry (for the sin of a spongy scallion pancake), Paula (for texture issues), and Bailey (for the aforementioned Pile of Stuff).—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2025
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But the occasional poach is perhaps no great sin, more akin to driving over the speed limit than, say, starting a forest fire.—
Mark Sundeen,
Outside Online,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The fault lies less with the performers than the writing.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2025
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These maps, based on research into earthquake sources such as faults and how seismic waves move through the earth’s crust, are used to determine the forces that structures in each community should be designed to resist.—
Jonathan P. Stewart,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Despite efforts by the small Republican contingent in the state Legislature to cast light on these failings, the agency remained immune from true accountability until the pandemic-era disaster struck.—
Lanhee J. Chen,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2025
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But the fund’s failings struck at the heart of New York’s intentions, said Eric Olson, a corporate and finance lawyer at Cleary Gottlieb, a white-shoe firm helping some licensees to develop their businesses pro bono.—
Ashley Southall,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dereliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dereliction. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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