tatty

adjective

tat·​ty ˈta-tē How to pronounce tatty (audio)
tattier; tattiest
: rather worn, frayed, or dilapidated : shabby
a tatty shirt
tattiness noun

Examples of tatty in a Sentence

the owner has let the restaurant become increasingly tatty over the years
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Texas Renée likes to be alone in tatty clothes with the dogs, crisscrossing the country and hanging out at the vet, cleaning the yard or planting and pruning things. Hugh Grant, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025 The coffee table had been painted black all over and looked rather tatty. Alyce Collins, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024 Cash is still printed regularly, because torn and tatty notes need to be replaced. The Week Uk, theweek, 3 Aug. 2024 Orwell typed for hours upstairs, sitting on his iron bedstead in a tatty dressing gown, chain-smoking shag tobacco. Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024 See All Example Sentences for tatty

Word History

Etymology

perhaps akin to Old English tætteca rag — more at tatter

First Known Use

1513, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tatty was in 1513

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Cite this Entry

“Tatty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tatty. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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