rickety

[US]/'rɪkɪtɪ/
[UK]/'rɪkəti/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

adj. shaky or likely to fall apart, especially because of poor construction or maintenance; in a state of disrepair or instability. Compar. ricketier.

Phrases & Collocations

rickety stairs

rickety old chair

rickety wooden bridge

Example Sentences

a rickety banking system.

a rickety old building

we went carefully up the rickety stairs.

He was precautious in crossing the rickety bridge.

The car proceeded over the rickety bridge with caution.

The rickety chair fell apart. He fell apart after years as a POW.

Though the bridge is a bit rickety, there is no immediate danger in walking over it.

The Shrinking of ChinaFor decades, rail travel in China meant an arduous overnighter in a crowded East German–designed train, riding along a rickety old track.

Real-world Examples

They're set afloat on often rickety or overloaded boats.

Source: CNN Selected April 2015 Collection

Every month or so another rickety overcrowded boat sinks and many lives are lost.

Source: BBC Listening December 2014 Collection

Both the chandelier and the candelabra on a rickety table nearby were shaped like serpents.

Source: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

And there were babies with thin rickety legs and mothers who could not nurse them.

Source: Gone with the Wind

They're rickety and they've got lots of vibrations and they've got high g-turns.

Source: Vox opinion

He watched his mother walk forward on trembling legs and sit down upon the rickety stool.

Source: 7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

He dropped these on the rickety table and scurried from their presence, slamming the book-covered door behind him.

Source: 6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

In the past year, thousands of migrants have tried to cross the Strait of Gibraltar in rickety boats.

Source: BBC Listening Collection August 2015

Planes, trains, cars, all relatively comfortable, but if you got no money, a rickety motorbike will have to do.

Source: CNN 10 Student English February 2018 Collection

" It might be a little rickety, " said Rabbit.

Source: Storyline Online English Stories

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