battered

adjective

bat·​tered ˈba-tərd 

1

: damaged or worn down by hard use

a battered old hat

a battered truck

2

: injured by repeated blows

the victim's battered body

a boxer's battered face

3

: subjected to repeated physical abuse

providing help for battered wives/children

… the store turned into an impromptu women's crisis center, where battered women and mothers trying to rescue their daughters from abusive dads gravitated.

—Donna Minkowitz

Examples of battered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jamie happily handed the battered Grey over to them, despite the rebels’ clear intention to do him harm. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 Dec. 2024

But the astonishing speed with which the rebels took over the country and the subsequent Israeli attacks against Syrian government targets also sparked worries about what’s next for the battered country. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024

The teenager’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, decided to publish photos of her son’s battered body in Jet magazine, forcing Americans to confront the visceral violence exacted on him. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024

The rock-work is artificially weathered and there are full-size models of battered and rusty space ships standing next to shady souks with wires hanging out of the walls and dusty-looking boxes sitting in the corners of their rooms. —Caroline Reid, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing battered

• battered child syndrome
• battered woman syndrome