dereliction

UK: /ˌdɛrɪˈlɪkʃən/ US: /ˌdɛrəˈlɪkʃən/ ,(der′ə lik′shən)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

der•e•lic•tion /ˌdɛrəˈlɪkʃən/   n. [uncountable]

1. deliberate neglect;
   delinquency:
   dereliction of duty.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

der•e•lic•tion  (der′ə lik′shən), n. 

1. deliberate or conscious neglect;
   negligence;
   delinquency:
   dereliction of duty.
2. the act of abandoning something.
3. the state of being abandoned.
4. Law a leaving dry of land by recession of the water line.

• Latin dērelictiōn- (stem of dērelictiō) an abandoning, equivalent. to dērelict(us) (see derelict) + -iōn- -ion
• 1590–1600

Synonyms

• 1. See neglect. 
• 2. desertion.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dereliction / ˌdɛrɪˈlɪkʃən/ noun

1. deliberate, conscious, or wilful neglect (esp in the phrase dereliction of duty)
2. the act of abandoning or deserting or the state of being abandoned or deserted
3. accretion of dry land gained by the gradual receding of the sea or by a river changing its course