ragged

[rag-id]

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• raggedly adverb
• raggedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ragged¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ragged¹

C13: probably from ragge _rag ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see run one ragged.

Example Sentences

It has gray, ragged fur, with burning red boils on its exposed skin.

Read more on Literature

It was deep, ragged, desperate howling, followed by a higher, sweeter, more piping sort of howl.

Read more on Literature

The band’s relationships to music and their own voices have changed with age: ragged choirboys as they are now, but still tuneful and beautiful.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Jihadists in ragged cuffed pants and turbans emerged from the savanna, setting the first vehicle on fire and seizing the rest, according to footage from the insurgents and Western contractors and officials.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For more than an hour, I lost myself in a flow state as I sought to replicate the slender mushroom’s fine gills and delicate but ragged skirt.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal