ratty

American  

[rat-ee] / ˈræt i /

adjective

rattier, rattiest

1. full of rats.

2. of or characteristic of a rat.

3. wretched; shabby.

   a ratty, old overcoat.

4. Slang. irritable or angry; bad-tempered; nasty.

   I always feel ratty when I wake up.

---

ratty British  

/ ˈrætɪ /

adjective

1. informal irritable; annoyed

2. informal (of the hair) unkempt or greasy

3. slang shabby; dilapidated

4. slang

   1. angry

   2. mad

5. of, like, or full of rats

---

Other Word Forms

• rattily adverb
• rattiness noun

Etymology

Origin of ratty

First recorded in 1860–65; rat + -y ¹

Example Sentences

In front of the cabin’s lone window, Owen saw another polar bear prevention device: a ratty old couch.

From Literature

My hair was slicked back under a dirty slouch hat, and my dusty boots stuck out from beneath a ratty pair of men’s trousers.

From Literature

“I actually love these gigs,” he said, dressed in a gas station attendant’s jacket over a ratty Replacements T-shirt.

From Los Angeles Times

Gurr didn’t recognize the company patriarch — “an older guy, unshaven, kinda ratty looking” — when he put his leg up on one of the tires of the mini-car.

From Los Angeles Times

Reubens can be charming talking about “finding a character” just by putting on a ratty wig, and candid when he admits that Jay Longtoe — his Native American lounge singer character — was racist.

From Salon

Related Words

• worn