tatterdemalion
- adjective
- /ˌtætərdɪˈmeɪliən/
- Archaic
:
desaliñado
- The tatterdemalion man wandered the streets, his clothes hanging in shreds.
Examples
-
She felt out of place at the party, wearing a tatterdemalion dress while everyone else was in formal attire.
-
In his tatterdemalion state, the once-proud prince looked unrecognizable to his former subjects.
-
He sat in one of the pleasant, comfortably tatterdemalion clubs patronized by English literati.
Fiction book (1999)
Synonyms
16
3.2
Old, torn clothes that are in poor condition
13
5.1
Not neat in appearance, often with messy hair or clothes
12
4.0
Something that looks worn, torn, and messy
8
6.4
So badly torn and ruined that it cannot be used, like clothes or plans
6
4.1
Cloth edges that are worn and have loose threads
4
7.0
Dirty and untidy, often wet after being in rain or mud
4
4.1
Old and torn clothes or fabric with loose threads
2
6.0
Worn and in poor condition because of age or heavy use
Having old torn clothes and looking untidy
Appears torn or worn, like old clothes with holes
Antonyms
How Ragged
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tatterdemalion comes from the simple word tatter, which means 'rags', plus an old extra ending that made it sound like a small, ragged thing. So a tatterdemalion describes something or someone 'ragged' and worn out.