bedraggled

American  

[bih-drag-uhld] / bɪˈdræg əld /

adjective

1. limp and soiled, as with rain or dirt.

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bedraggled British  

/ bɪˈdræɡəld /

adjective

1. (of hair, clothing, etc) limp, untidy, or dirty, as with rain or mud

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Other Word Forms

• unbedraggled adjective

Etymology

Origin of bedraggled

bedraggle + -ed ²

Example Sentences

I turned back to watch the miracle man as he surveyed his bedraggled troops, his young face pinched with worry.

From Literature

The map was safely stowed in his pocket, wet and bedraggled but still readable.

From Literature

Faint gray crescents ring his tired brown eyes, and his bedraggled curls are longer than usual.

From Literature

Then she caught a glimpse of her reflection, bedraggled and wide-eyed.

From Literature

Her over-romanticized vision of life across the pond, fueled by love stories like “Sense and Sensibility” set in pastoral England, starts out more bedraggled than charmed.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• disheveled
• run down
• seedy
• threadbare
• untidy