definitions
  • synonyms

tatty

1
[ tat-ee ]
/ ˈtæt i /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tatty ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, tat·ti·er, tat·ti·est.

cheap or tawdry; vulgar: a tatty production of a Shakespearean play.
shabby or ill-kempt; ragged; untidy: an old house with dirty windows and tatty curtains.

RELATED WORDS

bedraggled, broken-down, crummy, decayed, decaying, decrepit, deteriorated, dilapidated, dingy, disreputable, faded, mangy, moth-eaten, pitiful, poverty-stricken, ragged, ramshackle, ratty, rickety, run-down

Nearby words

tattler, tattletale, tattletale gray, tattoo, tattva, tatty, tatum, tatum, art, tatum, edward lawrie, tatung, tau

Origin of tatty

1
1505–15; tat rag (probably back formation from tatter1) + -y1
Related formstat·ti·ly, adverbtat·ti·ness, noun

Definition for tatty (2 of 2)

tatty

2

or tat·tie

[ tat-ee ]
/ ˈtæt i /

noun, plural tat·ties.

(in India) a screen, usually made of coarse, fragrant fibers, placed over a window or door and kept moistened with water in order to cool and deodorize the room.

Origin of tatty

2
First recorded in 1785–95, tatty is from the Hindi word ṭaṭṭī
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tatty

British Dictionary definitions for tatty

tatty

/ (ˈtætɪ) /

adjective -tier or -tiest

mainly British worn out, shabby, tawdry, or unkempt
Derived Formstattily, adverbtattiness, noun

Word Origin for tatty

C16: of Scottish origin, probably related to Old English tættec a tatter
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tatty

tatty

adj.

1510s, "tangled or matted" (of hair), Scottish, probably related to Old English tættec "a rag" (see tatter). Sense of "tattered, ragged, shabby" first recorded 1933.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper