Synonyms of ratty

ratty

adjective

ˈra-tē 

1

as in dilapidated

showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect

some ratty old magazines were the only reading material in the mountaintop cabin

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dilapidated
• neglected
• tattered
• tatty
• scruffy
• mangy
• shabby
• dumpy
• ragged
• miserable
• tired
• grungy
• scrubby
• desolate
• tumbledown
• threadbare
• tacky
• seedy
• abandoned
• beat-up
• timeworn
• gone to seed
• sleazy
• down-at-the-heels
• dog-eared
• moth-eaten
• broken
• ruined
• run-down
• tatterdemalion
• bombed-out
• unkept
• mean
• damaged
• dingy
• decrepit
• wrecked
• forlorn
• bedraggled
• rickety
• deteriorated
• ramshackle
• destroyed
• decaying
• broken-down
• worn-out
• deteriorating
• godforsaken
• rackety
• injured
• hurt
• impaired
• rattletrap
• harmed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• new
• fresh
• brand-new
• kept-up
• maintained
• reconstructed
• mended
• patched
• spiffy
• rebuilt
• cared-for
• smart
• spruce

2

as in tattered

worn or torn into or as if into rags

can I use this ratty old T-shirt to wipe up some paint?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tattered
• ragged
• faded
• frayed
• shabby
• raggedy
• seedy
• threadbare
• scruffy
• worn-out
• dingy
• shredded
• dilapidated
• dowdy
• mangy
• patchy
• decrepit
• grungy
• holey
• tacky
• tatterdemalion
• lacerate
• scuzzy
• broken-down
• dog-eared
• moth-eaten
• run-down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• new
• unused
• brand-new
• spick-and-span

3

as in irritable

easily irritated or annoyed

I get pretty ratty after hours of dealing with demanding customers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritable
• fiery
• crotchety
• petulant
• grouchy
• grumpy
• irascible
• peevish
• crabby
• snappish
• raspy
• cross
• stuffy
• waspish
• testy
• cranky
• out of sorts
• snarky
• out of humor
• pettish
• snippy
• choleric
• prickly
• short
• perverse
• passionate
• sensitive
• cantankerous
• ornery
• snarly
• short-tempered
• surly
• snippety
• curmudgeonly
• bilious
• dyspeptic
• querulous
• snappy
• contentious
• disagreeable
• fretful
• quick-tempered
• belligerent
• sullen
• sulky
• pugnacious
• bellicose
• scrappy
• truculent
• argumentative
• combative
• ill-tempered
• pouty
• fractious
• tetchy
• off-color
• bearish
• huffy
• cross-grained
• quarrelsome
• ill-humored
• ill-natured
• disputatious
• touchy
• thin-skinned
• hot-blooded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• friendly
• outgoing
• gregarious
• cordial
• sweet
• affable
• genial
• companionable
• amiable
• extroverted
• sociable
• agreeable
• good-natured
• carefree
• easygoing
• relaxed
• good-tempered
• stoic
• tolerant
• patient
• well-disposed
• long-suffering
• uncomplaining
• obliging
• understanding
• happy-go-lucky
• forbearing

4

as in lame

arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust

that's a ratty way to treat an old friend who's fallen on hard times

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lame
• cheap
• pitiful
• dirty
• wretched
• nasty
• mean
• disgusting
• grubby
• hateful
• scabby
• vile
• sorry
• lousy
• deplorable
• cruddy
• contemptible
• pitiable
• sneaking
• despicable
• paltry
• scurvy
• scummy
• shabby
• loathsome
• odious
• abominable
• disreputable
• repulsive
• shameful
• disgraceful
• revolting
• detestable
• squalid
• repugnant
• execrable
• reptilian
• abhorrent
• ignominious
• sordid
• condemnable
• dishonorable
• ignoble
• discreditable
• craven
• base
• cowardly
• reprehensible
• dastardly
• unscrupulous
• unprincipled
• revulsive
• low
• unethical
• reproachable
• censurable
• blamable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• admirable
• creditable
• meritorious
• laudable
• praiseworthy
• commendable
• upright
• noble
• redoubtable
• reputable
• honorable
• honest
• good
• scrupulous
• right
• moral
• principled
• righteous
• ethical
• virtuous
• high-minded
• right-minded

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ratty

Everything from the heavy makeup down to the ratty ponytail and the loose-hanging, tethered garments contributed to Prada’s and Simons’ purposefully messy characters. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 Feb. 2026

They were seated at a table located next to a window that faced directly into a ratty winterberry shrub and beyond that, out across the parking lot. — Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026

The latter was secured thanks to a fairly comfortable 8-3 win over the hosts, who started hot — and loud — but went cold, quiet and ratty, as Canada turned the screw. — Matt Slater, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026

The garments are purposefully ratty, as if to prove that signs of wear and tear are also signs of cherishing. — Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026