Jump to:

• haggard
  haggard

  adjective

  having a gaunt, wasted, or exhausted appearance, as from prolonged suffering, exertion, or anxiety; worn.
• Haggard
  Haggard

  noun

  (Sir) H(enry) Rider, 1856–1925, English novelist.

haggard

¹ American  

[hag-erd] / ˈhæg ərd /

adjective

1. having a gaunt, wasted, or exhausted appearance, as from prolonged suffering, exertion, or anxiety; worn.

   the haggard faces of the tired troops.

   Synonyms:

   hollow-eyed, drawn, emaciated

   Antonyms:

   robust

2. Archaic. wild; wild-looking.

   haggard eyes.

3. Falconry. (especially of a hawk caught after it has attained adult plumage) untamed.

---

noun

1. Falconry. a wild or untamed hawk caught after it has assumed adult plumage.

Haggard ² American  

[hag-erd] / ˈhæg ərd /

noun

1. (Sir) H(enry) Rider, 1856–1925, English novelist.

---

haggard ¹ British  

/ ˈhæɡəd /

adjective

1. careworn or gaunt, as from lack of sleep, anxiety, or starvation

2. wild or unruly

3. (of a hawk) having reached maturity in the wild before being caught

---

noun

1. falconry a hawk that has reached maturity before being caught Compare eyas passage hawk

Haggard ² British  

/ ˈhæɡəd /

noun

1. Sir ( Henry ) Rider . 1856–1925, British author of romantic adventure stories, including King Solomon's Mines (1885)

---

haggard ³ British  

/ ˈhæɡərd /

noun

1. (in Ireland and the Isle of Man) an enclosure beside a farmhouse in which crops are stored

---

Other Word Forms

• haggardly
  adverb
• haggardness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of haggard

First recorded in 1560–70; originally, “wild female hawk”; see hag ¹, -ard

Explanation

Someone who is haggard looks exhausted and worn out, exactly how you'd expect someone who's been lost at sea for days to look. A haggard appearance is usually the result of a long, harrowing ordeal, like getting lost in the woods or being stranded in the woods for days. An emotional ordeal, like losing a loved one, can also give someone a haggard appearance if they forget to eat, sleep, and take care of themselves. Whatever the ordeal, it will make the person look absolutely awful — pale, gaunt, disheveled, exhausted with dark circles under their eyes and wild, unruly hair.

Example Sentences

But in 2024, Venezuela produced only about one percent of global crude, its industry left haggard by years of underinvestment, mismanagement and US sanctions.

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

Footage of the Palestinian detainees being released into Gaza, wearing gray prison sweatsuits, shows them looking haggard and thinner compared with photos taken before they were detained.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 25, 2025

"I did the one pair of wheels - I will say they're absolutely haggard," he laughed.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025

He wore the haggard shell-shocked expression everyone wears after leaving transit.

From Slate • May 19, 2025

They are bent over, haggard, three with just a horseshoe of hair left.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett