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; 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.

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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

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ragged Idioms  

1. see run one ragged.

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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

Explanation

Something that's ragged is starting to fall apart. When your favorite sweater is getting ragged, it's so worn that the sleeves are fraying. You'll often see ragged describing clothing or a person's tendency to dress in torn, ratty clothes. Your grandmother might talk about the ragged little boy in her neighborhood, who always wears a dirty t-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. You might put on your comfortable sweatpants only to realize they've gotten a little ragged, frayed around the waistband.

Example Sentences

This wasn’t “an argument between genteel parties in Congress,” William Hogeland writes in his history, The Whiskey Rebellion, “but…a guerrilla war on the country’s ragged margin, our first war for the American soul.”

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

The government blamed the disorder on a ragged retreat by the Syrian Democratic Forces that left the camp unguarded for hours and made it difficult to re-establish security.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Facing obstacles – be they ragged clothes that triggered childhood bullying or high school classmates who ridiculed her for favoring country music over The Beatles – became a way of life for Dolly.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026

She added a thick black-and-white band above the ragged stitches and finished the blond rim with the traditional contrasting ticking.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

None of them were as ragged, and none of them looked as tired as I felt.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola