jagged

[jag-id]

See more synonyms for jagged on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having ragged notches, points, or teeth; zigzag: the jagged edge of a saw; a jagged wound.
having a harsh, rough, or uneven quality.

Origin of jagged

1400–50; late Middle English. See jag¹, -ed²

Related formsjag·ged·ly, adverbjag·ged·ness, nounun·jag·ged, adjective

jag¹

[jag]

noun

a sharp projection on an edge or surface.

verb (used with object), jagged, jag·ging.

to cut or slash, especially in points or pendants along the edge; form notches, teeth, or ragged points in.

verb (used without object), jagged, jag·ging.

to move with a jerk; jog.

Origin of jag¹

1350–1400; late Middle English jagge (noun), jaggen (v.), of obscure origin

Related formsjag·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for jagged

Contemporary Examples

Their jagged edges and razor sharp teeth make you stand a little further back then normal.
Takashi Murakami’s Art From Disaster
Justin Jones
November 28, 2014
Picasso worked from the photograph to create the blocked, jagged shapes he painted on canvas.
Revealing The Unseen Picasso
Justin Jones
November 3, 2014
Jagged walls of rock, a palette of blacks and greys, loom over us.
Want to Write a Book? Go to Iceland
Adam LeBor
May 26, 2014
The landscape is immense—rivers, hills, flatlands, jagged mountains.
Visiting the Arctic Circle…Before It’s Irreversibly Changed
Terry Greene Sterling
April 1, 2014
Situated at 5,400 feet, it's encircled by jagged peaks that make you feel you're cupped inside a caldera.
Big-Sky West Texas: A Road Trip Through Hidden America
Condé Nast Traveler
March 18, 2014

Historical Examples

The joint is jagged in lamb, but smooth and round in mutton.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
At the third jump his hat flew off, disclosing the jagged end of a two-by-four.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
The bark is jagged by the slashes of venomous chassepot bullets.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
He took off his hat, and showed her where the brim had a jagged tear half an inch deep.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
The jagged recesses of the Mona valley were dark with shadow.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science September 1930
Various

British Dictionary definitions for jagged

jagged

adjective

having sharp projecting notches; ragged; serrate

Derived Formsjaggedly, adverbjaggedness, noun

jag¹

jagg

verb jags, jagging or jagged

(tr) to cut unevenly; make jagged
Australian to catch (fish) by impaling them on an unbaited hook

noun, verb

Scot an informal word for jab (def. 3), jab (def. 5)

noun

a jagged notch or projection

Word Origin

C14: of unknown origin

jag²

noun slang

1. intoxication from drugs or alcohol
2. a bout of drinking or drug taking
a period of uncontrolled activitya crying jag

Word Origin

of unknown origin

Jag

noun

informal a Jaguar car: often understood as a symbol of affluence

JAG

abbreviation for

Judge Advocate General

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

Word Origin and History for jagged

adj.

mid-15c., from verb jaggen (c.1400) "to pierce, slash, cut; to notch or nick; cut or tear unevenly," Scottish and northern English, of unknown origin. Originally of garments with regular "toothed" edges; meaning "with the edge irregularly cut" is from 1570s. Related: Jaggedly; jaggedness.

jag

n.1

"period of unrestrained activity," 1887, American English, perhaps via intermediate sense of "as much drink as a man can hold" (1670s), from earlier meaning "load of hay or wood" (1590s), of unknown origin. Used in U.S. colloquial speech from 1834 to mean "a quantity, a lot."

jag

n.2

"slash or rend in a garment," c.1400, of unknown origin.

jagged

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}jagged

jag.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of jag1

Examples from the Web for jagged

Contemporary Examples

Their jagged edges and razor sharp teeth make you stand a little further back then normal.

Picasso worked from the photograph to create the blocked, jagged shapes he painted on canvas.

Jagged walls of rock, a palette of blacks and greys, loom over us.

The landscape is immense—rivers, hills, flatlands, jagged mountains.

Situated at 5,400 feet, it's encircled by jagged peaks that make you feel you're cupped inside a caldera.

Historical Examples

The joint is jagged in lamb, but smooth and round in mutton.

At the third jump his hat flew off, disclosing the jagged end of a two-by-four.

The bark is jagged by the slashes of venomous chassepot bullets.

He took off his hat, and showed her where the brim had a jagged tear half an inch deep.

The jagged recesses of the Mona valley were dark with shadow.

jagged

jag1

jagg

Word Origin

jag2

Word Origin

Jag

JAG

Word Origin and History for jagged

adj.

jag

n.1

jag

n.2

Origin of jagged

jag¹

Origin of jag¹

jag¹

jag²