in tatters

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ragged adj.
raggedy adj.
scraggly adj.
tatterdemalion adj.
tattered adj.

ADJECTIVE

ragged

Synonyms

STRONG

battered broken dilapidated disorganized fragmented frayed frazzled jagged mean notched patched rent rough serrated shredded torn

WEAK

badly dressed badly worn contemptible crude desultory dingy down-at-the-heel full of holes in holes in rags irregular moth-eaten poor poorly made rugged scraggy seedy shabby shaggy shoddy tacky tattered tatty threadbare uneven unfinished unkempt unpressed worse for wear

Antonyms

STRONG

complete even fixed nice polite smooth

WEAK

kempt new

ADJECTIVE

raggedy

Synonyms

WEAK

badly dressed badly worn battered broken dilapidated frayed frazzled full of holes in rags in shreds moth-eaten poorly made ragged ripped rugged scraggy seedy shabby shaggy shoddy tatterdemalion threadbare torn torn to pieces unkempt

ADJECTIVE

scraggly

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bedraggled scruffy unkempt

WEAK

badly dressed badly worn dilapidated dingy dirty disheveled frayed frazzled full of holes grubby grungy messy moth-eaten shabby sloppy tacky tattered threadbare torn unclean uncombed ungroomed worse for wear

Antonyms

STRONGEST

kempt neat tidy

ADJECTIVE

tatterdemalion

Synonyms

STRONG

shoddy

WEAK

badly dressed badly worn battered broken dilapidated frayed frazzled full of holes in rags in shreds moth-eaten poorly made ragged raggedy ripped rugged scraggy seedy shabby shaggy threadbare torn torn to pieces unkempt

ADJECTIVE

tattered

Synonyms

STRONGEST

battered dilapidated frayed ripped shabby threadbare torn

WEAK

badly dressed badly worn broken frazzled full of holes in rags in shreds moth-eaten poorly made rugged scraggy seedy shaggy shoddy torn to pieces unkempt

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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in tatters

In the show’s final galleries, we find Whistler once again roaming—to Amsterdam, Italy and elsewhere—but the small scale and reduced scope of his work suggest a career in tatters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Replicating such a start will leave Arsenal's dreams of a first WSL title in eight seasons in tatters - and it could not be much tougher, with early trips to Stamford Bridge and Etihad Stadium.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

But building the specialized aircraft is a time-consuming process, made harder by a nine-year production gap that left the complex supply chain in tatters.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Iran’s navy appears to be in tatters, their nuclear program suffered more damage, along with their supply of long-range missiles.

From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026

They hung in tatters, and a cold mist leaked out of them.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

in tatters

Example Sentences

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