adj

rickety

RIHK-ih-tee

adj

Weak, shaky, or unstable, typically because of poor construction or age.

"The rickety old bridge creaked with every step."

"We sat on a rickety wooden bench outside the shop."

How to Use Rickety

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishWobbly and unstable, like something about to fall apart.

Common pairings

rickety chair rickety staircase rickety old fence

ricketier comparative, more rickety comparative, ricketiest superlative, most rickety superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Can you complete this real example?

The _____ old bridge creaked with every step.

Probably from a dialect word "ricket" meaning unstable, possibly influenced by the word rickets.

bockety bone-shaking craichy cranky creaky creaking drooping flimsy precarious unsteady rottletrap shackly

firm resilient robust rugged safe solid secure stalwart

irregular angry good safe loose hard enterprise stiff

piety ninety safety gaiety surety tweety anxiety society naivety velvety fidgety entirety

bockety bone-shaking craichy cranky creaky creaking drooping flimsy precarious unsteady rottletrap shackly