natty

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈnæti/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

  Rhymes: -æti

Originally slang, perhaps related to natural.^[1]

natty (comparative nattier, superlative nattiest)

1. (informal) Smart and fashionable. [from late 18th c.]
   • 1997, David Foster Wallace, “David Lynch keeps his head”, in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, Kindle edition, Little, Brown Book Group:

     Anyway, while the creepy-video thing is under way there are also some scenes of Pullman looking very natty and East Village in all-black and jamming on his tenor sax in front of a packed dance floor (only in a David Lynch movie would people dance ecstatically to abstract jazz), […]

   • 2025 January 28, Cameron Joseph, “Meet Mitt Romney’s replacement – who could make or break the Trump agenda”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

     A natty dresser, especially by congressional standards, Mr. Curtis has turned his penchant for bright socks into an ice-breaker that he says helps constituents feel comfortable in approaching him.

Variant of knotty.^[1]

natty (comparative nattier, superlative nattiest)

1. (Jamaica, slang) Knotty.

   natty dreadlocks

Clipping of natural +‎ -y.

• nattie

natty (comparative more natty, superlative most natty)

1. (slang, sports, particularly bodybuilding) Natural, as opposed to steroid enhanced.

   natty gains

natty (plural natties)

1. (slang, sports, particularly bodybuilding) Someone whose muscle gains are natural and not aided by the use of steroids.

Clipping of national +‎ -y.

• nattie

natty (comparative more natty, superlative most natty)

1. (slang) National.

natty (plural natties)

1. (slang, sports) A national championship.

   I hope my favorite team makes it to the natty this season.

• tanty

From English knotty.

• IPA^(key): /ˈnatɪ/
• Hyphenation: na‧tty

natty (plural natty dem, quantified natty)

1. abbreviation of natty dreadlocks

natty

1. dreadlocked, knotty, nappy

   What a way yuh 'ead natty. ― Your hair's so nappy.

   • 2010, Mel Cooke, “Mid-90s Rasta revolution withers”, in The Jamaica Gleaner‎^[1] (in Jamaican Creole):

     “Natty natty pon head, picky picky dung a chin. […] ”

     Dreadlocked with a scruffy beard. […]

natty

1. to grow dreadlocks; to grow locks

   'Im natty up him head. ― He's grown his locks.

   • 2014, Gordon Robinson, “Tainted morality”, in The Jamaica Gleaner‎^[2] (in English):

     “By his deeds shall a man be known
     Natty up your head and worship Babylon throne […] ”

     By his deeds shall a man be known
     You've grown dreadlocks but you're still a slave to the system […]

• natty dread
• natty dreadlocks

• Richard Allsopp, editor (1996), Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, published 2003, →ISBN, page 401
• natty – jamaicans.com Jamaican Patois dictionary