tattered 1 of 2

adjective

ˈta-tərd How to pronounce tattered (audio)
Definition of tatterednext
1
as in ragged
wearing torn or worn-out clothes arrived at the shelter tattered and exhausted

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in faded
worn or torn into or as if into rags a hobo in tattered old clothes and worn-out shoes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tattered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tatter
as in ripped
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it the little boy tattered that blanket beyond repair by repeatedly yanking on it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tattered
Adjective
On a recent afternoon, the lanky, mustachioed Zucker, wearing a T-shirt, ballcap and small hoop earrings, bears little resemblance to his comic alter ego who sports a tattered suit with gag props stuffed in every pocket. — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 For weeks, migrants in the Spanish territory of Ceuta had gathered on a beach away from the city center, sleeping on cardboard sheets, under reed huts and guarding their few possessions in tattered plastic bags. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 The ferocious character also features shaggy black-and-orange hair that matches his tattered pants, and a large necklace adorned with teeth. — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 30 July 2026 The trailer finds the film’s protagonists alternately hunting or fleeing the vicious creature — or creatures — through a tattered town known as Hope Harbor, a remote coastal village near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in South Korea. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tattered
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tattered
  1. ragged
  2. faded
  3. ripped
  4. frayed
  5. tore
  6. shredded
Adjective
  • Part of its purpose, from the beginning, was not only to deliver new facts but to interpret ragged events for a nervous audience of relatively prosperous, largely white viewers who shared Wallace’s concern about the shape and tenor of the future.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Our family teetered on the cusp of something ragged and broken.
    — Raj Panjabi, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of ragged
Adjective
  • At the denouement, Kember is completely alone, his flat, narcotized baritone dripping onto the faded guitar notes like melted mercury.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Fly Faster Tee uses heavyweight cotton jersey with a faded finish, while the Patch Tee receives a heavy enzyme wash.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of faded
Verb
  • With two outs in the opening frame, Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca ripped consecutive RBI knocks to put Tampa Bay up 2-0.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Popular at American Chinese or Cajun-style Chinese restaurants, the sticky-sweet chicken is the utter definition of delicious, luring weary shoppers into food courts to find refuge from the bubblegum pink sweatpants and ripped denim.
    — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of ripped
Adjective
  • Red trim and buttons juxtaposed the pink frayed material, with a red top handle Louis Vuitton bag and a pair of two-tone black and brown slingback pumps completing the look.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Ireland needed goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher at his best to deny Israel after the break, and tempers became frayed around the hour mark after a clash between Idah and Raz Shlomo.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of frayed
Verb
  • The Vikings similarly struggled in 2023 after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The collapse comes just weeks after a fire tore through a hospital in the capital Islamabad, killing at least 14 newborns and sparking widespread anger and multiple arrests.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of tore
Verb
  • Gaye’s was perhaps the most inventive, not to say subversive, Black version of the anthem since Jimi Hendrix had shredded the song at Woodstock in 1969.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Much of the waste Fabscrap receives is shredded or downcycled, to be used in insulation.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shredded

Browse Nearby Words

tatterdemalion
tattered
tattering
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Cite this Entry

“Tattered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tattered. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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