rag doll

American  

noun

1. a stuffed doll, especially of cloth.

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rag doll Idioms  

1. A limp, ineffectual person, as in You won't get a decision from her; she's a rag doll when it comes to making up her mind. This expression transfers the limpness of a soft doll made from scraps of cloth to human behavior. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of rag doll

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

"I didn't recognise the men. Or this woman. Her cheek was so flabby. Her mouth so limp. She was like a rag doll."

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

Forlorn but oddly hopeful, Sally became the film’s most empathetic character, thanks in part to the depth that O’Hara lent to the sort-of animated rag doll.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

The word “empathy” gets thrown around like a rag doll.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

And when Bagpuss awoke, so did his friends: Professor Yaffle the woodpecker bookend, Gabriel the toad and Madeleine the rag doll, as well as the musical mice on their magical mouse organ.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2024

It broke under his weight and he lay sprawled in the wreckage, limp as a rag doll.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss