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

What our gifter says: This is the perfect upgrade for the grandad who’s been carrying the same ratty wallet since the ’90s. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2024

The Best Pajamas for Lounging and Sleeping Give your ratty old T-shirt and sweats the night off. —Sarah Madaus, SELF, 22 Oct. 2024

The Best Pajamas for Lounging and Sleeping Give your ratty old T-shirt and sweats the night off. 17 of the Highest Rated Sheet Sets on Amazon Under $40 Snuggle up. —Malia Griggs, SELF, 18 Oct. 2024

The room looks appropriately ratty: the floor is scuffed, the radiator covered in thick grime, and someone seems to have started, with impatient streaks, to paint one of the walls. —Benjamin Moser, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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