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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

ratness en · NOUN

Etymology

From rat + -ness.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) The quality of being a rat; rattiness.
    • But they are much better at ratness or guineapigness or monkey business than we are because of other things we have that thicken the plot: like capacities for wonder and conscience and compassion. These tend to bring us into conflict with our ratness or guineapigness or monkey shines. 2011, Mary Caroline Richards, The Crossing Point: Selected Talks and Writings, →ISBN, page 150:
    • Cat is hunger. Cat is cruel. Food — Cat is hunter, a machine who smells ratness, who needs fuel. 2002, Laura Whipple, If the Shoe Fits: Voices From Cinderella, →ISBN, page 26:
    • All in all, an exemplar of Park ratness, their Bernie. 2007, Dana Stabenow, A Deeper Sleep, →ISBN, page 153:
    • And then you add to it the judgment that the victims are some form of deserving species of ratness, further reducing the numbers. But ratness is relative, right? 2008, Joseph A. McCaffrey, The Marksman's Case, →ISBN, page 88: