ratty C1 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈræti/ UK /ˈræti/ See IPA manual Freq #24325 Meanings 1 adj informal, especially US: old, worn, dirty, or in poor condition He arrived carrying a ratty suitcase with one broken clasp. 2 adj informal: annoyed or irritable Everyone grew ratty after waiting in the heat for an hour. 3 adj resembling or characteristic of a rat A ratty scratching sound came from behind the wall. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · informal, especially us:... shabbytattyworn 2 adj · informal: annoyed or irritable irritablecrosscranky 3 adj · resembling or... ratlikerattish ↔ Opposites neatwell-keptcheerful Word family Derived forms rattilyrattiness Related forms ratshabby Etymology Formed from rat + -y. The literal sense means ratlike or associated with rats; the shabby and irritable senses developed through negative associations with the animal. Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # ratty **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈræti/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈræti/ **Frequency rank:** 24325 ## Meanings 1. informal, especially US: old, worn, dirty, or in poor condition 2. informal: annoyed or irritable 3. resembling or characteristic of a rat ## Examples - He arrived carrying a ratty suitcase with one broken clasp. - Everyone grew ratty after waiting in the heat for an hour. - A ratty scratching sound came from behind the wall. ## Synonyms - shabby - tatty - worn - irritable - cross - ratlike ## Antonyms - neat - well-kept - cheerful ## Derived Forms - rattily - rattiness ## Related Forms - rat - shabby ## Etymology Formed from rat + -y. The literal sense means ratlike or associated with rats; the shabby and irritable senses developed through negative associations with the animal. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown