battered

adjective

bat·​tered ˈba-tərd 

1

: damaged or worn down by hard use

a battered old hat

a battered truck

2

: injured by repeated blows

the victim's battered body

a boxer's battered face

3

: subjected to repeated physical abuse

providing help for battered wives/children

… the store turned into an impromptu women's crisis center, where battered women and mothers trying to rescue their daughters from abusive dads gravitated.

—Donna Minkowitz

Examples of battered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As dozens of sheriff's deputies and FBI agents searched the area for Becky the next day, a fisherman found her battered and naked body floating in the Banana River just a half-mile from her home. —Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025

Think of it as more of a battered but beautiful old dive bar than a burger joint. —Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025

Despite the war and the battered Russian economy, Rosneft and Lukoil are worth more than $50 billion each and are two of the biggest companies listed on the Moscow Stock Exchange. —Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025

Hughes believed Wallace shared his goals to attract a younger congregation and to reinvigorate their battered institution. —Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing battered

• battered child syndrome
• battered woman syndrome

Rhymes for battered

• backscattered
• chattered
• clattered
• flattered
• mattered
• pattered
• scattered
• shattered
• spattered
• splattered
• tattered