battered

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Damaged and worn by long use, rough handling or repeated blows.

   Grammar: Before a noun or after a verb: a battered suitcase, the car looked battered.

   Patterns

   • battered by something
   • a battered old something

   He carried his lunch in a battered tin box.

   The coast was battered by storms all winter.

   The team's battered pride took months to recover.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Coated in a mixture of flour, egg and liquid before being fried.

   Grammar: Cooking term used before food names: battered fish.

   Patterns

   • battered fish
   • deep-fried and battered

   The restaurant serves battered cod with chips.

   She ordered battered onion rings as a starter.

   Battered shrimp turn crisp and golden when fried.

3. 3adjectivebefore a nounformal

   Repeatedly hit or abused by another person, especially a partner or parent.

   Grammar: Used in social and legal contexts, e.g. battered women, battered child syndrome.

   Patterns

   • a battered spouse
   • battered women

   The charity runs a shelter for battered women and their children.

   Doctors are trained to recognize signs of battered child syndrome.

   A battered spouse may be afraid to ask for help.

Common combinations

battered by storms

The village was battered by storms every winter.

battered old car

He drove a battered old car to work.

battered fish

Battered fish is a classic takeout meal.

battered and bruised

The boxer left the ring battered and bruised.

battered economy

A battered economy took years to recover.

Synonyms and how they differ

worn

Worn means used so much that it has lost its good condition, but it does not imply violent damage.

beaten-up

Beaten-up is informal and suggests hard, rough treatment, much like battered.

dented

Dented means pressed in at certain spots, while battered suggests damage all over.

coated

Coated is a plain word for covered with a layer, and it does not mean the food was fried in batter.

Opposites

Word family

batter verb

to hit hard again and again

battering noun

a severe beating or heavy damage

batter noun

a liquid mixture of flour, eggs and milk used for coating or baking

battery noun

the crime of hitting someone, or a device that stores power

Commonly confused: battered or buttered?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “battered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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