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
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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?
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ratty
In 2024, Los Angeles was the second rattiest city in America, according to a report by pest control company Orkin.
—
Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
One of those is a comfy pair of slippers, but not the ratty old ones that hang out by your bedside.
—Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2025
According to Orkin, the pest control service, New York has been ranked as the third rattiest city in the country behind Los Angeles and Chicago.
—Sarah Baniak, ABC News, 12 Feb. 2025
New York, arguably the most famous ratty city (with its very own rat celebrities), recently required that most city trash be placed in containers with secure lids, not in plastic bags on the street.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ratty
Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
One of those is a comfy pair of slippers, but not the ratty old ones that hang out by your bedside.
—Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2025
According to Orkin, the pest control service, New York has been ranked as the third rattiest city in the country behind Los Angeles and Chicago.
—Sarah Baniak, ABC News, 12 Feb. 2025
New York, arguably the most famous ratty city (with its very own rat celebrities), recently required that most city trash be placed in containers with secure lids, not in plastic bags on the street.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ratty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratty
Adjective
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Dayna is unemployed and newly single, and an out-of-the-blue opportunity to fix up a dilapidated mansion into an influencer house seems like her ticket to a new life.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
31 Aug. 2025
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Nearly two weeks after San Jose began dismantling its largest homeless encampment, the city is set to open its first-ever safe sleeping site, which will provide tents for dozens of the approximately 370 residents who have lived in dilapidated RVs and squalor at Columbus Park.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Of the roiling mass of restless natives, cranky artists and tattered idealists who rose up across the Southland this summer to flip off darkness and call America back to its better angels?—
John Lopez,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
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Over time, exposure to the elements has left the dolls dirty and worn, with peeling paint on their faces, tattered clothing, missing eyes, and no hair, creating a chilling and eerie atmosphere.—
Natalia Cano,
Billboard,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Instead, Helen is allowed to be irritable and anti-social, chain-smoking and snappish, without the filmmaker casting judgment.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
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If you are rushed or irritable, say so.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Shootouts are lame in comparison.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
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On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Same premise as the exterior, but even more important: Don’t buy a car with a neglected interior.—
Jimmy Camp,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
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Close the Loop Following through on commitments is the simplest and yet shockingly most neglected way to earn long-term trust.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Adjective
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The original Toxic Avenger was made for chump change and wore its low-budget nature proudly, while this version, which was shot in Bulgaria in 2021 and involves both practical and digital effects, tries to evoke that ragged aesthetic while working with more resources.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
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Frost is, by reputation, perhaps the foremost poet of rural, non-coastal New England — of birches and apple trees, of forests blanketed in snow, of pastures sliced by ragged stone walls, and of the flinty, self-sufficient kind of temperament that flourishes in those places.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But that cheaper investment has largely been eviscerated, according to a cadre of sports bankers CNBC interviewed.—
Michael Ozanian,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
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Travelers can snag cheap flights to explore New York in September and October.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The 9th-century monastery rises from the plateau—its stone walls etched with faded medieval frescoes of apostles and Last Judgement scenes.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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Its faded design lends it a vintage look — without the wear.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ratty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratty. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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