battered

battered — adjective

1. showing wear, dents, or breakage after hard use, bad weather, or attack

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

showing wear, dents, or breakage after hard use, bad weather, or attack

Example

A battered suitcase rolled off the bus with one wheel missing.

collocation: battered suitcase

Sea wind rattled the battered sign above the fish market door.

Common collocations
  • battered suitcase
  • battered sign
  • battered house
  • battered car
  • battered cookbook
Synonyms
  • worn

    is broader and often milder, suggesting age or long use more than hard blows.

  • damaged

    is the neutral general word and does not give as strong a picture.

  • shabby

    focuses more on an untidy or uncared-for appearance.

  • weather-beaten

    is mainly for things marked by sun, wind, or rain outdoors.

Antonyms
  • new

    suggests not yet marked by use or damage.

  • well-kept

    stresses good care and a tidy condition.

  • undamaged

    directly contrasts with visible harm or breakage.

Grammar Patterns

a battered suitcase

battered houses

look battered

a battered old car

Usage Note

Often describes objects, buildings, and places marked by long use, weather, or attack. Distinguish from adjective/3, which is about injuries to living beings.

Common Mistakes

Grandpa still uses a batter suitcase.
Grandpa still uses a battered suitcase.
use battered for something worn or damaged by long use.
The report was battered because it was unfair.
The report was biased because it was unfair.
adjective/1 is about physical condition, not unfair opinions.

2. coated in a smooth flour mixture, usually before frying

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

coated in a smooth flour mixture, usually before frying

Example

We ordered battered fish and chips from the shop near the pier.

collocation: battered fish

The cook laid battered onion rings on paper beside the stove.

Common collocations
  • battered fish
  • battered shrimp
  • battered onion rings
  • battered mushrooms
Synonyms
  • coated

    is broader and does not specify the kind of outer layer.

  • fried

    describes the cooking method, not the wet mixture on the surface.

  • breaded

    is close in cooking use but uses dry crumbs rather than batter.

Antonyms
  • plain

    means served without this outer coating.

  • grilled

    usually suggests a different cooking method without batter.

  • uncoated

    directly contrasts with having a covering on the food.

Grammar Patterns

battered fish

battered shrimp

battered onion rings

battered mushrooms

Usage Note

Almost always comes before food nouns and usually suggests the food will be fried. Distinguish from breaded, which uses dry crumbs rather than a wet mixture.

Common Mistakes

We ordered batter fish for lunch.
We ordered battered fish for lunch.
battered describes the food; batter is the mixture itself.
The menu has breaded squid, so it is battered squid.
The menu has breaded squid, not battered squid.
breaded and battered are different kinds of coating.

3. injured after being hit many times, especially in violent treatment by another p

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

injured after being hit many times, especially in violent treatment by another person

Example

The battered boxer sat quietly while the doctor cleaned his cut eye.

common with people hurt by violence

Police found a battered woman and her son outside the apartment building.

collocation: battered woman

Common collocations
  • battered face
  • battered body
  • battered woman
  • battered child
  • battered boxer
Synonyms
  • bruised

    stresses visible marks on the skin rather than repeated attack over time.

  • beaten-up

    is more informal and often used for people after a fight.

  • abused

    stresses cruel treatment and can include emotional harm as well as physical harm.

  • injured

    is broader and does not by itself suggest repeated hitting.

Antonyms
  • unhurt

    means not physically injured.

  • safe

    stresses being out of danger rather than the condition of the body.

  • protected

    suggests that someone is being kept from further harm.

Grammar Patterns

a battered face

a battered woman

look battered

leave someone battered

Usage Note

Often used with people, families, or body parts, especially when the context is assault or domestic abuse. Distinguish from adjective/1, which describes damaged things rather than living beings hurt by violence.

Common Mistakes

The nurse treated a batter man after the fight.
The nurse treated a battered man after the fight.
use battered as the adjective for someone hurt by repeated blows.
The battered door would not close.
The damaged door would not close.
adjective/3 is for living beings hurt by violence, not objects.

4. so drunk that a person cannot walk or speak in a normal way

4.adjectiveC1
Definition

so drunk that a person cannot walk or speak in a normal way

Example

By midnight, Dean was battered and singing beside the taxi line.

informal British use after be

After six beers, Paula looked battered when she tried to unlock the gate.

linking verb: look battered

Common collocations
  • be battered
  • look battered
  • sound battered
  • get battered
Synonyms
  • drunk

    is the broad everyday word and can be much milder.

  • wasted

    is very informal and often stronger in tone.

  • intoxicated

    is more formal and often used in legal or medical contexts.

  • plastered

    is informal and emphasizes being extremely drunk.

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be battered

look battered

sound battered

get battered

Usage Note

Mostly follows be, look, sound, or get in informal British speech about alcohol. Distinguish from adjective/3, where battered describes physical injury rather than drunkenness.

Common Mistakes

I was battered after carrying those boxes upstairs.
I was exhausted after carrying those boxes upstairs.
in this sense, battered means very drunk, not physically tired.
The soup made him battered.
The beer made him battered.
adjective/4 is specifically about alcohol.

Word family

  • batter
    verbC1
  • batter
    nounB1
  • battering
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective/1, battered suggests visible harm from long use, rough handling, weather, or attack. Worn is broader and often milder: worn shoes or a worn sofa may simply look old. Shabby focuses more on an untidy, uncared-for appearance than on dents or hard knocks. Damaged is the neutral all-purpose word and can describe anything from a cracked phone to a storm-hit roof, without the strong picture that battered gives. Beaten-up is informal and especially common for cars, trucks, and old furniture. A battered suitcase looks as if it has survived many hard trips; a shabby suitcase may just look unfashionable.

battered ↗worn ↗shabbydamagedbeaten-up

Etymology

Late LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Battered is the past-participle adjective from batter. The verb came into English from Old French batre, from late Latin battuere, carrying the idea of striking or beating. The food sense grew through the noun batter, the flour mixture used before frying, because cooks beat the mixture together and then coat the food with it.