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 ragged right or flush right with the left side unjustified ragged 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

Derived Forms

• ˈraggedly, adverb
• ˈraggedness, noun

Other Words From

• ragged·ly adverb
• ragged·ness 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

But one of them has run a ragged, undisciplined and often listless campaign, increasingly focused on blatantly false claims and hateful invective, and without the slightest pretense of “moderation” or unifying rhetoric.

From Salon

In “Two Things,” she finds the ragged edge of her honeyed voice to put across the exasperation involved in a love-hate relationship; in “We Broke Up,” she realizes that closure is available only to those who are ready for it: “I could take a deep dive in the details / I could hide, I could cry till I throw up / Take a stroll, camera roll, old emails / But it’s as simple as, ‘We broke up.’”

From Los Angeles Times

They left and returned to the hillside in a slow ragged line.

From Los Angeles Times

But it has also generated a ragged trail of misinformation that officials are still trying to combat.

From Salon

So professional across their marathon stint in the field, the tourists became ragged at the end, with Jamie Smith missing a simple stumping and Gus Atkinson a similarly easy catch off number 11 Abrar Ahmed.

From BBC