Tattered

//ˈtætəd// adj, verb

adj, verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of tatter form-of, participle, past
Adjective
  1. 1
    Rent in tatters, torn, hanging in rags; ragged. not-comparable

    "The chattering, irrational brute of the subconscious clothes itself in the tattered garments of rationality and idealism."

  2. 2
    Dressed in tatters or rags; ragged. not-comparable

    "This is the Prieſt all ſhaven and ſhorn, that married the man all tattered and torn[.]"

  3. 3
    Dilapidated; showing gaps or breaks; jagged; broken. not-comparable, obsolete
Adjective
  1. 1
    ruined or disrupted wordnet
  2. 2
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
bedraggleddraggledragtagscroungyseedyshabby

Example

More examples

"I see a tattered flag which continues to flutter in the wind."

Etymology

From Middle English tatered, tatird, from Old Norse tǫturr. Originally, it was derived from the noun, but it was later reanalysed as a past participle (tatter + -ed), whereafter the verb came into being. Compare tatter.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.