DESUETUDE Synonyms: 11 Similar and Opposite Words

desuetude

noun

ˈde-swi-ˌtüd

Definition of desuetude

as in neglect

lack of use despite the long years of desuetude, the old manual typewriter seemed to work just fine

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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 desuetude This Customs guidance has gone entirely unenforced for decades, but it was reissued — perhaps to keep it from desuetude — by the Obama administration in its final years. — Eugene Kontorovich, Washington Post, 17 July 2017 Instead of working alone, Mahama shares his process through these organizations, offering Ghana’s people the chance to rebuild after a period of desuetude. — Edna Bonhomme, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025 Some passengers, however, seem to have moved beyond our technological limitations to a conceptual world where human drivers have fallen into desuetude. — Peter Jakubowicz, Wired, 4 Sep. 2021 Glenn Close returns to the role of Norma Desmond in the 1993 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, based on Billy Wilder’s classic portrait of Hollywood desuetude. — The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2017 New England travel writer and physician Jonathan Brown visited Sans-Souci in the 1830s, long after the king’s suicide in 1820, when the palace had been completely pillaged and had fallen into utter desuetude. — Marlene Daut, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Oct. 2021

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desuetude

Noun

Some business owners say crime and neglect are driving away customers.

— Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Disabled people are disproportionately represented in detention, where inaccessible conditions, inadequate medical care, and systemic neglect put lives at risk.

— Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of neglect

Noun

The Genesis Convention Center, which had fallen into disuse and disrepair, opened in 1981.

— Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
In 2015, an Angolan company called the Omatapalo Group bought the property, then overgrown and wild with disuse, made extensive renovations, and turned over management to Angolan hotel company OnTour, which opened Mumba Lodge in May 2025.

— Samantha Falewée, Travel + Leisure, 30 Apr. 2026

Definition of disuse

Noun

For fast fashion retailers, the first discount typically lands within four to twelve hours of abandonment.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 3 July 2026
In 2017, still a puppy, he was rescued from abandonment and mistreatment by the Asociación Pro Defensa de los Animales, which restored his health and, with it, his chances.

— Luis E. Romero, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of abandonment

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destructive

desuetude

desuetudes

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“Desuetude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desuetude. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of desuetude

noun

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