/ ˈtætəd; NAmE -tərd/ adjective
old and torn; in bad condition :
tattered clothes
( figurative )
tattered relationships
( figurative )
the hotel's tattered reputation
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense dressed in decoratively slashed or jagged clothing ): apparently originally from the noun tatter scrap of cloth + -ed ; later treated as a past participle.