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
• stuffy
• waspish
• testy
• cranky
• cross
• out of sorts
• snarky
• out of humor
• pettish
• snippy
• choleric
• prickly
• perverse
• short
• passionate
• sensitive
• cantankerous
• ornery
• snarly
• short-tempered
• surly
• snippety
• curmudgeonly
• bilious
• dyspeptic
• querulous
• snappy
• disagreeable
• fretful
• quick-tempered
• contentious
• belligerent
• sullen
• sulky
• pugnacious
• bellicose
• scrappy
• truculent
• combative
• ill-tempered
• pouty
• fractious
• argumentative
• 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

Old Pillows and Throws Say goodbye to the ratty pillows and throws that have somehow made it from your college dorm days into your living room. — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 21 Aug. 2026

The place was dark, the fixtures dated, the backyard ratty and overgrown. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 21 July 2026

From musty star maps to ratty psychics, the movie so adores Los Angeles that Thomas Lennon’s hair stylist character is a riff on local billboard king Chaz Dean. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Additionally, the thick material never snags or looks ratty, even after a wash. — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 5 June 2026