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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
I get pretty ratty after hours of dealing with demanding customers
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ratty
Another volunteer who also wants in, Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), is a bedraggled punk wearing a ratty princess costume for reasons also to be disclosed.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
Take ratty old towels to the animal shelter and offer kitchen supplies to the homeless shelter.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2026
Thompson’s Anna Andrews initially appears as a frantic figure in a ratty hoodie, chugging wine from the bottle and rustling around an Atlanta apartment that is in an alarming state of disarray.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Sure, Angie did say it, but the phrase was about, and wouldn’t exist without, Britani and her ratty updo.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ratty
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
Take ratty old towels to the animal shelter and offer kitchen supplies to the homeless shelter.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2026
Thompson’s Anna Andrews initially appears as a frantic figure in a ratty hoodie, chugging wine from the bottle and rustling around an Atlanta apartment that is in an alarming state of disarray.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Sure, Angie did say it, but the phrase was about, and wouldn’t exist without, Britani and her ratty updo.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ratty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratty
Adjective
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Buck Island offered to sell the dilapidated unit to Brown for $1,000, funded partially with her security deposit.—
Gretchen Morgenson,
NBC news,
10 June 2026
-
Here cavernous sheet-metal market halls rub shoulders with dilapidated clapboard stores.—
Duncan Madden,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Worn Washcloths or Towels Go through all your linens in the bathroom, and discard any that are old, stained, tattered, or smell weird.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
10 June 2026
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In the evening, place your bait near a pile of wood or rubble and cover it with newspaper or a tattered cardboard box.—
Chad Mason,
Outdoor Life,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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But Maguire, now 43, became sad and irritable, and didn’t want to be around his newborn.—
Keith Wagstaff,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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Additionally, Owens' youngest child, Titus, who was just a toddler when his mother died, was confused, irritable and inconsolable in the weeks after her death, Dias shared.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Initially blocked by recalcitrant Democratic members of the House, the legislation was reintroduced during a lame-duck session following the 2024 election.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
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As lame as the fact that an Erewhon smoothie costs $19 is that so many of us need to be paid to be nice to each other.—
Swan Huntley,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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Few sights are as heart-wrenching as a neglected animal in need.—
Allison Moses,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Those plans were later abandoned during the pandemic and the house joined Denver’s neglected and derelict building list in 2024.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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His eyes had rested on a flimsy plastic cup that had been abandoned on the sink, holding ragged lime slices and a slush of ice that was causing little beads of condensation to form on its sides.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
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Although King reached rare air with the Bulls during Rose’s ascent, most of his tenure as a broadcaster was spent breathing life into ragged seasons.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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This momentum reflects rapid advances in both AI and hardware over the past two years, driven by better models and cheaper components.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
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More people appear to be walking away from Affordable Care Act coverage or switching to cheaper plans for 2026 compared to this time last year, according to early enrollment data from several states.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Police say that the suspect's vehicle has a faded convertible top, no rear window, chrome-and-red European-style taillights and chrome rims.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
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When the gene is inherited from both parents, the cat's color appears more faded and soft than that of a regular calico, which is usually a rich tricolor coat of black, orange, and white.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ratty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratty. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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