tattering
Falling to shreds
Tattering is the process of becoming ragged or worn, with fabric fraying into irregular strips or hanging threads: The old flag was tattering in the wind.
It can describe deliberate distressing of clothing or the gradual decay of any material: Years of neglect left the curtains tattering at the edges.
Coming apart threadwise
- shreddingCutting into thin pieces
- unravelingProcess of coming undone
- rippingTearing with force
- tearingForcibly separating material
threadbare · ragged · worn · torn · moth-eaten · shabby · tatty · distressed
Act of leaving permanently
- disuseCessation of practice
- derelictionAbandonment of duty
- negligenceFailure to exercise care
- shabbinessWorn, neglected condition
squalor · uncared-for · unmaintained · forgotten · rundown · ramshackle · decrepit · beat-up
Gradual organic breakdown
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
- crumblingBreaking down gradually
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- degradationDecline in condition
breakdown · erosion · decomposition · dilapidation · disrepair · atrophy · withering · rotting
fraying
Coming apart threadwise
- shreddingCutting into thin pieces
- unravelingProcess of coming undone
- rippingTearing with force
tearing · threadbare · ragged · worn · torn · moth-eaten · shabby · tatty · distressed · splitting
abandonment
Act of leaving permanently
- disuseCessation of practice
- derelictionAbandonment of duty
- negligenceFailure to exercise care
shabbiness · squalor · uncared-for · unmaintained · forgotten · rundown · ramshackle · decrepit · beat-up · worn-out
decay
Gradual organic breakdown
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
- crumblingBreaking down gradually
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
degradation · breakdown · erosion · decomposition · dilapidation · disrepair · atrophy · withering · rotting · ruination
- fabric damageripping, shredding, fraying, unraveling, tear
tatteringstrengthening
Increasing power or solidity
reinforcing · binding · consolidating · unifying · fortifying
tatteringpreserving
Protecting from deterioration
maintaining · protecting · conserving · safeguarding · pristine