rick ‧ et ‧ y /ˈrɪkəti, ˈrɪkɪti/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: rickets ]
a rickety structure or piece of furniture is in very bad condition, and likely to break easily:
a rickety old wooden chair
a rickety bridge
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THESAURUS
■ likely to break
▪ weak unable to support much weight, and likely to break:
The foundations of the building are rather weak.
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an old chair with weak legs
▪ fragile made of a thin material that is easy to break or damage – used when something needs to be handled carefully:
a fragile china vase
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Be careful of those glasses – they’re very fragile.
▪ delicate easy to break or damage – used especially about soft materials, skin etc:
Wash delicate fabrics separately.
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This soap is good for delicate skin.
▪ flimsy not well-made from strong materials and so easily damaged – used about furniture, houses etc:
a flimsy plastic table
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This keyboard’s very cheap but it’s a bit flimsy.
▪ rickety /ˈrɪkəti, ˈrɪkɪti/ in very bad condition and likely to break – used about a building, piece of furniture, vehicle etc:
a rickety old bicycle
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He lived in a rickety hut on the beach for several years.