tatty

1
[ tat-ee ]
See synonyms for tatty on Thesaurus.com
adjective,tat·ti·er, tat·ti·est.
  1. cheap or tawdry; vulgar: a tatty production of a Shakespearean play.

  2. shabby or ill-kempt; ragged; untidy: an old house with dirty windows and tatty curtains.

Origin of tatty

1
1505–15; tat rag (probably back formation from tatter1) + -y1

Other words from tatty

  • tat·ti·ly, adverb
  • tat·ti·ness, noun

Other definitions for tatty (2 of 2)

tatty2

or tat·tie

[ tat-ee ]

noun,plural tat·ties.
  1. (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. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for tatty

tatty

/ (ˈtætɪ) /


adjective-tier or -tiest
  1. mainly British worn out, shabby, tawdry, or unkempt

Origin of tatty

1
C16: of Scottish origin, probably related to Old English tættec a tatter

Derived forms of tatty

  • tattily, adverb
  • tattiness, noun

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