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Ratty

/ˈɹæti/ · adjective

Meaning

Resembling or characteristic of a rat; ratlike..

Definitions by Sense

  1. Resembling or characteristic of a rat; ratlike.
  2. Infested with rats.
  3. In poor condition or repair.
  4. Crazy, mad; ridiculous; slightly strange, eccentric; also (followed by about, on, or over), attracted to, infatuated with.
  5. Annoyed, bad-tempered, irritable.
  6. Synonym of knock down ginger (“prank of knocking on a front door and running away”).

Example Sentences

We got an old tin lantern, and a butcher knife without any handle, and a bran-new Barlow knife worth two bits in any store, and a lot of tallow candles, and a tin candlestick, and a gourd, and a tin cup, and a ratty old bed-quilt off the bed, […] and just as we were leaving I found a tolerable good curry-comb, and Jim he found a ratty old fiddle-bow, and a wooden leg.
The Marcher lord was still clad in his ratty black cloak and dented breastplate with its chipped enamel lightning.
I was having exactly that thought on a ratty mock-leather couch in Islington.
He got bad, he got ratty, he would take it out on people around him. He was mean when it turned against him.

Synonyms for ratty

rattishbatteredtatteredtattytornworn outannoyedangryaggravatedagitatedbotheredexasperatedfrustratedirritableirritatedirkedpeevedpesteredpissyrattyshittysoretiredvexedbee in one's bonnethave it in forhot and botheredhold a grudgebrassed offbrowned off

Antonyms for ratty

Related Words

moth-eatentattyshabbywornmeaslyunkemptbroken-downpunylousypettywretchedmiserablerodentlikerattishratlikerodentyraccoonlikerabbityraccoonishrascallike

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does ratty mean?

Ratty means Resembling or characteristic of a rat; ratlike..

What is a synonym for ratty?

Common synonyms include rattish, battered, tattered, tatty.

What is the opposite of ratty?

The opposite depends on the specific sense.

How do you use ratty in a sentence?

We got an old tin lantern, and a butcher knife without any handle, and a bran-new Barlow knife worth two bits in any store, and a lot of tallow candles, and a tin candlestick, and a gourd, and a tin cup, and a ratty old bed-quilt off the bed, […] and just as we were leaving I found a tolerable good curry-comb, and Jim he found a ratty old fiddle-bow, and a wooden leg.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.