adjective

ratty

RA-tee

Ratty (adjective) means Shabby, worn out, or in poor condition. Example: “He wore a ratty old sweater around the house.”

adjective

Shabby, worn out, or in poor condition.

"He wore a ratty old sweater around the house."

"The hotel room had a ratty carpet and peeling paint."

British informal for irritable or bad-tempered.

"She got ratty with the kids after a long day at work."

How to use ratty

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishScruffy and worn-out, or (informally) short-tempered.

Common pairings

ratty old get ratty with someone

rattier comparative, rattiest superlative

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He wore a _____ old sweater around the house.

From rat plus the adjective suffix -y ("having the quality of").

batty fatty catty natty Patty Matty chatty Beatty

What does “ratty” mean?

The word “ratty” means shabby, worn out, or in poor condition. In plain terms, scruffy and worn-out, or (informally) short-tempered.

How do you pronounce “ratty”?

“Ratty” is pronounced RA-tee (/ˈɹæti/ in IPA).

How do you use “ratty” in a sentence?

Here is “ratty” used in a sentence: “He wore a ratty old sweater around the house.”

What part of speech is “ratty”?

“Ratty” is an adjective.

How many meanings does “ratty” have?

“Ratty” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: shabby, worn out, or in poor condition.