Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US black) used of behaviour: extreme, out of control; extended to appearance.

1992		UGK ‘I’m So Bad’ 🎵 Get your knees dirty, hoe, or either get your ratchet ass out my fuckin do’.
1999		Lava House ‘Ratchet’ 🎵 These ratchet hos need to quit, claiming not to be ratchet, but they still suckin’ dick.
2004		Lava House ‘Do Da Ratchet’ 🎵 Now where Big Poppa at? / You know he ratchet too; / you know he take them X pills; / he pop ’em two by two.
2012		Hudson & Hudson ‘Ratchet Girl Anthem’ 🎵 OMG, what do she have on? / She ratchet. / Her lace front is all wrong. / ’Cause she ratchet.
2014		C. Eble UNC-CH Campus Sl. Spring 2014 12: RATCHET — unappealing, unattractive, disorderly, dysfunctional, trashy: ‘She’s not wearing a bra—-she looks ratchet.’ ; ‘Her hair was looking ratchet last night—it looked like a bird’s nest.’.
2014		T.I. ‘Jet Fuel’ 🎵 You don’t wanna see my niggas actin’ ratchet with the ratchet.
2020		G. Krauze What They Was 64: I’m thinking allow these ratchet chicks tryna hustle man.

2. (US) exciting, enjoyable; self-indulgent.

2007		Rolling Stone 34: ‘Ratchet’ is [...] a state of mind, something like ‘do what you feel’ .
2012		C. Eble Campus Sl. (Spring) Ratchet: out of control, wild, excellent: ‘That spring break party was totally ratchet’.
2018		thoughtcatalog.com 14 Sept. 🌐 77 Millennial Slang Words That Will Have You Shook [...] 28. Ratchet – Trashy.