adjective
-
having many crags
-
(of the face) rugged; rocklike
Other Word Forms
- craggedly adverb
- craggedness noun
- craggily adverb
- cragginess noun
- uncraggy adjective
Etymology
Origin of craggy
Explanation
Something is craggy when it's uneven, rough, and jagged, like the craggy cliffs along a rocky beach. The adjective craggy is most often used to describe a landscape or natural feature like a hill or outcrop, and occasionally a scarred or pitted face, like your uncle's craggy cheeks. The word comes from crag, "rugged cliff or rock." Most crags are found in northern Scotland and England, and the roots of crag go back to a Celtic source.
Vocabulary lists containing craggy
Everything Sad Is Untrue
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I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When baked, the streusel should form a craggy, golden crust that cracks gently under a knife.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026
In the craggy Sierra Nevada mountains, late last year, a male lion hunted down several bighorn.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025
As he aged and his face grew craggy and weathered, his allure only deepened.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
The first piece the Warburgs installed — Zhan Wang’s “Artificial Rock No. 126” — is a tall, stainless-steel replica of a craggy scholar’s rock from China, reflecting Mei’s early interest in contemporary Chinese art.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2025
As soon as the remains of the fish had been cleared away, a tremendous craggy mountain of home-made ice-cream would be carried in.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
