tattered

adjective

tat·tered | \ ˈta-tərd

Definition of tattered

1 : torn into shreds : ragged a tattered flag

2a : broken down : dilapidated decaying houses along tattered paved streets— P. B. Martin

b : being in a shattered condition led their tattered party to victory

3 : wearing ragged clothes a tattered barefoot boy

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Examples of tattered in a Sentence

a pile of old tattered books arrived at the refugee camp tattered and exhausted

Recent Examples on the Web

In Taupin’s work, the flag is often tattered, torn or otherwise maligned, raising the hackles of detractors. — Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, "Elton John Lyricist Bernie Taupin Opens Art Exhibit in Beverly Hills," 7 June 2019 Plato created the enduring image of him as a saintly bum, wandering the streets barefoot, wrapped in a tattered cloak, too absorbed in his ceaseless contemplation of virtue and justice to take any interest in worldly affairs. — Jamie James, WSJ, "‘Socrates in Love’ Review: A Vigorous, Brilliant Young Man," 17 May 2019 Bands like Culture Club and The Information Society were at the forefront of the movement with their crooning tunes, tattered tresses, experimental makeup styles. — Scarlett Newman, Teen Vogue, "The Youth Culture Magazine That Put Naomi Campbell and Missy Elliot on the Cover Is Relaunching," 1 Apr. 2019 In Australia, archaeologists found the tattered remains of an ancient priestess in a 2,500-year-old Egyptian coffin that was long thought to be empty. — James Rogers, Fox News, "'Cursed' ancient Egyptian sarcophagus reveals its grisly secrets," 21 Aug. 2018 But mine, originally white, were browning and tattered. — Matt Ortile, SELF, "Whenever My Life Feels Out of Control, I Go to Ballet Class," 16 Aug. 2018 The data wonks and eggheads who now control the sport have taken one of the game’s most fundamental numbers, chewed it up and spat out its tattered remains like a bag of sunflower seeds. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The Mets Are So Bad They Killed the Win," 7 Aug. 2018 Romeo admired my tattered white shoes, similar to his. — Matt Ortile, SELF, "Whenever My Life Feels Out of Control, I Go to Ballet Class," 16 Aug. 2018 Salio consulted his tattered notebook of people who left their names with him, calling them out when their turn came. — chicagotribune.com, "Undeterred by Trump, asylum-seekers line up at the border," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tattered.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.