How to Use ratty in a Sentence

ratty

adjective
  • Those shoes are getting pretty ratty.
  • Is the trash can or ratty lawn chair still in the background?
    — Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 29 June 2017
  • The ratty club run by the nice Madam Qin is on its last legs.
    — Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 June 2019
  • Replace their ratty old tool belt with this sleek one from Carhartt.
    — Alex Rennie, Popular Mechanics, 2 Dec. 2022
  • If your lawn looks ratty and is full of weeds, then rototilling it up is not a good idea.
    — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2021
  • Stuck with a ratty old one that leaks everywhere and doesn’t even keep your food and drinks cold?
    — Emily Belfiore, Travel + Leisure, 28 June 2023
  • This is not a workout shirt that's going to look ratty after a few months of wear.
    — Heath Owens, Men's Health, 19 Aug. 2023
  • The show takes place on a bare stage with a couple of ladders on the sides and a ratty curtain at the back.
    — Christopher Arnott, courant.com, 5 July 2017
  • Her bare feet protruded from the bottom of her small, ratty blanket.
    — Heather Knight, SFChronicle.com, 10 Dec. 2019
  • Their flower spikes dying from the bottom up looked ratty, their dark green leaves anonymous.
    — Perdita Buchan, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 May 2017
  • To atone for that addition, perhaps, the owners kept the ratty red vinyl on the stools at the counter.
    — Pete Wells, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2022
  • The parent birds look ratty by the time the kids have fledged, but a few months later they’re all turned out in fresh feathers.
    — Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Sep. 2017
  • Upgrade their ratty sweatpants to something with a little more style.
    — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 6 Sep. 2022
  • Because there were my parents, on a ratty old loveseat With gadgets plugged in and a cheese plate to eat.
    — Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 1 Apr. 2023
  • My kids went over to get the ball and our middle-age neighbor stood there in his ratty bathrobe and sprayed my children with his hose!
    — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 10 May 2020
  • Most people take out the trash in ratty mesh shorts, some inside-out T-shirt, and house slippers.
    — Max Berlinger, GQ, 27 Sep. 2017
  • The food is fair to terrible, the rugs have a ratty feel but seem redeemed by that aura of high-class wear and tear.
    — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, 24 Apr. 2018
  • But if someone shows up wearing ratty old socks, feel free to call them a toe-tal embarrassment.
    — Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 8 Feb. 2023
  • Do away with your ratty towel and opt instead for a thicker mat that will smooth out any sharp or uneven terrain.
    — Marissa Miller, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2020
  • Later that day, Rahul extracted a pair of ratty slippers from a garbage pile and wore them.
    — Suhasini Raj, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2020
  • Meanwhile, ratty bangs — like enemies of perfection — are poised to be a top hair trend this fall.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025
  • These days there are tons of underwear brands that are trying to sell ratty t-shirts that fall apart after a few washes.
    — Brad Lanphear, Men's Health, 20 Dec. 2022
  • Made of breathable cotton-jersey, this tee-and-pant set is a simple upgrade from ratty shirts and sweats.
    — Vanessa Powell, Men's Health, 23 Nov. 2022
  • In fact, there were 50 percent more fish in the reefs around the birdy islands versus the ratty islands.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 12 July 2018
  • Otherwise, come on over, kick off your Manolo Blahniks or ratty flip-flops, and stay awhile.
    — Liz Krieger, Good Housekeeping, 6 June 2023
  • Why are some of these dudes showing up to the cocktail party in ratty shirts when Tayshia is serving evening glamour?
    — Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 2 Dec. 2020
  • The garments are purposefully ratty, as if to prove that signs of wear and tear are also signs of cherishing.
    — Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Take ratty old towels to the animal shelter and offer kitchen supplies to the homeless shelter.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2026
  • To keep the plant from looking ratty, water it once a week during dry spells and use a couple of inches of mulch around the plant to help conserve moisture.
    — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 27 July 2018
  • Nearly $2 billion in new development is bringing homes, offices, shops, and parks to a ratty part of the city.
    — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 12 Mar. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ratty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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