ragged

American  

[rag-id] / ˈræg ɪd /

adjective

1. clothed in tattered garments.

   a ragged old man.

   Synonyms:

   poor, shabby

   Antonyms:

   neat

2. torn or worn to rags; rag; tattered.

   ragged clothing.

3. shaggy, as an animal, its coat, etc.

4. having loose or hanging shreds or fragmentary bits.

   a ragged wound.

5. full of rough or sharp projections; jagged.

   ragged stones.

6. in a wild or neglected state.

   a ragged garden.

7. rough, imperfect, or faulty.

   a ragged piece of work.

8. harsh, as sound, the voice, etc.

9. (of a column of type) set or printed with one side unjustified; either flush left with the right side unjustified ragged right or flush right with the left side unjustified ragged left.

---

ragged British  

/ ˈræɡɪd /

adjective

1. (of clothes) worn to rags; tattered

2. (of a person) dressed in shabby tattered clothes

3. having a neglected or unkempt appearance

   ragged weeds

4. having a loose, rough, or uneven surface or edge; jagged

5. uneven or irregular

   a ragged beat

   a ragged shout

---

ragged Idioms  

1. see run one ragged.

---

Other Word Forms

• raggedly adverb
• raggedness noun

Etymology

Origin of ragged

First recorded in 1250–1300, ragged is from the Middle English word ragget. See rag ¹, -ed ³

Example Sentences

As he took out a small notebook and began to read names from it, I was suddenly conscious of my rumpled clothes, my long, ragged fingernails.

From Literature

“And a clean handkerchief. It can be ragged, but you better hope it’s clean.”

From Literature

Should such a result come to pass this weekend, England may appear even more ragged than they were when Borthwick's era began.

From BBC

I’m setting the pace, and Jonah’s breathing goes ragged as he struggles to stay with me.

From Literature

Tattered, bleeding, ragged, and stunned I come out the end of the gorge to crash in the next checkpoint and spend the day recovering.

From Literature