ratty

adjective

rat·​ty ˈra-tē 

rattier; rattiest

1

a

: infested with rats

b

: of, relating to, or suggestive of a rat

2

: shabby, unkempt

a ratty brown overcoat

—John Lardner

3

a

: despicable, treacherous

b

: irritable

feeling ratty as hell

—Richard Bissell

Synonyms

• beat-up
• bombed-out
• dilapidated
• dog-eared
• down-at-the-heels
• down-at-heel
• down-at-the-heel
• down-at-heels
• dumpy
• grungy
• mangy
• mean
• miserable
• moth-eaten
• neglected
• run-down
• scrubby
• scruffy
• seedy
• shabby
• sleazy
• tacky
• tatterdemalion
• tatty
• threadbare
• timeworn
• tumbledown

Examples of ratty in a Sentence

Those shoes are getting pretty ratty.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Last year, Los Angeles was the second rattiest city in the United States, according to a report by pest control company Orkin. —Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025

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

Despite the occasional frozen screen glitches and folks joining calls in their ratty pajamas, there are upsides. —John Daley, NPR, 19 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

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for ratty

• batty
• catty
• chatty
• fatty
• natty
• pattie
• patty
• tatty

Kids Definition

ratty

adjective

rat·​ty ˈrat-ē 

rattier; rattiest

1

a

: full of rats

ratty dockside warehouses

b

: of or relating to rats

2

: shabby sense 2a

a ratty old sweater