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• 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.

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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.

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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

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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)

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haggard ³ British  

/ ˈhæɡərd /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• haggardness
  noun
• haggardly
  adverb

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

See Examples For:

haggard Haggard

At the end of the film, Matt Damon’s haggard Odysseus sails toward the unknown, accepting that he doesn’t deserve the comfort of a king.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

But in 2024, the South American country produced only about one percent of the world's total crude output, said OPEC, its industry left haggard by years of underinvestment, mismanagement and US sanctions.

From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026

It would not have been my first choice for something to discard—I’d have nominated the haggard horse face that stares back at me daily when I shave—but nobody asked me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

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

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2025

Her face was drawn and pinched, her sweet blue eyes haggard and unnat-ural.

From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

Either way, Haggard sounds like he believes what he’s saying, regardless of whether that’s true, because of the time and effort he spent working out the song.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

“We have DJs who play everything from Dwight Yoakam to Bruce Springsteen and Merle Haggard to Chappell Roan,” said Chase Manhattan, regional director of entertainment at Desert 5 Spot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

Ibarra had waived his right to a jury trial, which means his case was heard and decided by county Judge Haggard.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2024

Further, Haggard wrote, Caldier did not have a “credible reason” for releasing the names and could have made her point without doing so.

From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024

Mr. Haggard came of a Scandinavian family, and for several generations his ancestors had been Norfolk squires. 

From Norfolk Annals A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteeth Century, Vol. 2 by Mackie, Charles