raggedy

American  

[rag-i-dee] / ˈræg ɪ di /

adjective

1. ragged.

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raggedy British  

/ ˈræɡɪdɪ /

adjective

1. informal somewhat ragged; tattered

   a raggedy doll

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Etymology

Origin of raggedy

First recorded in 1885–90; ragged + -y ¹

Explanation

If something's raggedy, it's been used so much that it's starting to fall apart or become shabby. Face it, it's time to throw away that raggedy old sweater — it's full of holes! Raggedy is used for beat up, tattered clothing, but it can also describe anything that's scruffy or unkempt. There's your older brother's raggedy beard, that raggedy patch of lawn that refuses to grow grass, or the raggedy teddy bear you've had since you were a baby and can't bear to part with. Raggedy started as 19th-century Southern slang, and in 1913 it was used to name the popular Raggedy Ann doll.

Example Sentences

But in a deliberately raggedy film, we find a raggedy man.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

I had a golf tee time booked for Thursday afternoon at Wilson Golf Course, a beloved if sometimes raggedy course that the city runs in Griffith Park, near me.

From Slate • Jan. 9, 2025

He said one part was warm water, another was that the winds — moving in the right direction and at the right altitude — allowed a somewhat raggedy storm to rapidly develop structure and strengthen.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2023

She hoisted another heave, contorting her arc into a raggedy spiral of a thing.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2023

When he could speak again, he said, “Still them raggedy clothes, huh, fish?”

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli