tattery
Definition
Adjective: "tattery" describes something that is torn, ragged, or in a state of disrepair, often referring to clothing, fabric, or other materials that are worn out and hanging in shreds.
Usage Examples
- (The coat was torn and ragged, showing signs of long use.)
- (The curtains were in a frayed, torn condition, allowing wind to pass through.)
Advanced Usage
"a tattery appearance": a look of being worn out or shabby.
- Her tattery appearance suggested she had been traveling rough for weeks. (Her ragged clothes and disheveled look indicated hardship.)
"tattery edges": edges that are frayed or uneven due to tearing.
- The tattery edges of the paper showed it had been roughly ripped from a notebook. (The torn, uneven borders indicated a hasty removal.)
Variants and Related Words
Tatter (n): a torn piece of cloth or paper; a shred.
- The flag was reduced to tatters after the storm. (The flag was torn into shreds.)
Tattered (adj): torn into shreds; ragged.
- He wore a tattered shirt that had been mended in several places. (The shirt was torn and worn.)
Tatterdemalion (n): a person dressed in ragged or tattered clothing.
- A tatterdemalion begged for coins on the street corner. (A person in torn clothes asked for money.)
Synonyms
Ragged: having a rough, irregular, or torn edge; shabby.
- The ragged blanket was full of holes. (The blanket was torn and worn.)
Frayed: worn away or unraveled at the edges.
- The frayed rope snapped under pressure. (The rope's edges were worn, making it weak.)
Shredded: torn into long, narrow pieces.
- The shredded document was swept away by the wind. (The document was torn into strips.)
Related Idioms
"In tatters": completely torn or ruined; in a state of collapse.
- After the scandal, his reputation was in tatters. (His reputation was ruined, like torn cloth.)
"Tatter and rag": a phrase emphasizing extreme shabbiness.
- The beggar's clothes were nothing but tatter and rag. (His clothes were reduced to mere shreds and scraps.)