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Synonyms

shaggy

American  
[shag-ee] / ˈʃæg i /

adjective

shaggier, shaggiest

  1. covered with or having long, rough hair.

  2. untidy; unkempt.

    a shaggy person.

  3. rough and matted; forming a bushy mass, as the hair or mane.

  4. having a rough nap, as cloth.

  5. characterized by sloppy planning or execution.

    a shaggy production of Macbeth.
shaggy British  
/ ˈʃæɡɪ /

adjective

  1. having or covered with rough unkempt fur, hair, wool, etc

    a shaggy dog

  2. rough or unkempt

  3. (in textiles) having a nap of long rough strands

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • shaggily adverb
  • shagginess noun

Etymology

Origin of shaggy

First recorded in 1580–90; shag 1 + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Giant anteaters have black and white diagonal stripes, dense shaggy hair and super-sized snouts.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Rhodamnia zombi is described as a small to medium sized tree with large dark green leaves, shaggy bark, and fuzzy white flowers.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

Across the aisle, a young man with shaggy hair and a tweed blazer noticed the book on my lap.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

The Arizona boys don’t seem inclined to get in over their shaggy heads.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

He scooped up a shaggy white poodle who didn’t look very happy about what was about to happen.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.