tattered

adjective

tat·​tered ˈta-tərd 

1

: torn into shreds : ragged

a tattered flag

2

a

: broken down : dilapidated

decaying houses along tattered paved streets

—P. B. Martin

b

: being in a shattered condition

led their tattered party to victory

3

: wearing ragged clothes

a tattered barefoot boy

Synonyms

• ragged
• raggedy
• ragtag
• tatterdemalion

Examples of tattered in a Sentence

a pile of old tattered books

arrived at the shelter tattered and exhausted

Recent Examples on the Web

Footage shown on local and national TV news showed a tattered segment of the pier floating on the swell with at least one person walking across the debris. —Tom Tapp, Deadline, 23 Dec. 2024

McArdle looked down and felt a surge of sadness: The man was sleeping on several layers of cardboard, his head resting on a backpack, a tattered book slipped beneath it. —Greg Borowski, Journal Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024

Shane Colombo’s father, Ernesto, brought a tattered file of paperwork to each day of the court proceedings. —Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 25 Oct. 2024

With rescue and cleanup efforts still front of mind in the Tampa Bay region, the city of St. Petersburg is a long way from making any decisions on how to fix the tattered stadium, officials said Friday. —NBC News, 12 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

tattered

adjective

tat·​tered ˈtat-ərd 

1

: wearing ragged clothes

a tattered barefoot child

2

: torn in shreds : ragged

a tattered flag