tatty

adjective

tat·​ty ˈta-tē How to pronounce tatty (audio)
tattier; tattiest
: rather worn, frayed, or dilapidated : shabby
a tatty shirt
tattiness noun

Examples of tatty in a Sentence

the owner has let the restaurant become increasingly tatty over the years
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The carpets were tatty; the meeting rooms were ill-equipped. Sam Knight, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 Thierry notified me of his satisfaction with another grunt and reached into the pillowy recesses of his fleece to produce a tatty padded envelope stuffed with Euros. Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025 Twenty-five years after construction, when materials get tatty and tastes change, is the danger time. Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2025 Texas Renée likes to be alone in tatty clothes with the dogs, crisscrossing the country and hanging out at the vet, cleaning the yard or planting and pruning things. Hugh Grant, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tatty

Word History

Etymology

perhaps akin to Old English tætteca rag — more at tatter

First Known Use

1513, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tatty was in 1513

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tatty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tatty. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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