adjective
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informal irritable; annoyed
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informal (of the hair) unkempt or greasy
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slang shabby; dilapidated
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slang
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angry
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mad
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of, like, or full of rats
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ratty
Explanation
Things that remind you of a rat are ratty, and so are things that are generally worn and shabby. Your sister's pet ferret might make you jump when it peers out from behind the ratty old sofa with its ratty little eyes. If your attic is inhabited by a huge, multi-generational family of rats, it's ratty too. Whether this adjective is used to mean "looking like a rat," "full of rats," or "decrepit and dirty," it's negative. The same is generally true for rat itself, which refers to the rodent but also figuratively means "liar" or "traitor." The root of rat and ratty is unknown.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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 • Apr. 25, 2025
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 • Jan. 30, 2025
I know people think it is about his goal - and it was a wonderful strike - but he was all over the place, putting his foot in, making loads of fouls, ratty tackles.
From BBC • Nov. 4, 2024
Although most historical accounts date the arrival of brown rats to about 1775, new evidence suggests this ratty rivalry began much earlier.
From Science Magazine • Apr. 4, 2024
To anyone else, it was a ratty old scrap of leather, barely recognizable as a baseball glove, fit for the garbage can.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
