shaggy

[ shag-ee ]

adjective

, shag·gi·er, shag·gi·est.

1. covered with or having long, rough hair.
2. untidy; unkempt:

   a shaggy person.

3. rough and matted; forming a bushy mass, as the hair or mane.
4. having a rough nap, as cloth.
5. characterized by sloppy planning or execution:

   a shaggy production of Macbeth.

shaggy

/ ˈʃæɡɪ /

adjective

1. having or covered with rough unkempt fur, hair, wool, etc

   a shaggy dog

2. rough or unkempt
3. (in textiles) having a nap of long rough strands

Derived Forms

• ˈshaggily, adverb
• ˈshagginess, noun

Other Words From

• shaggi·ly adverb
• shaggi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shaggy¹

First recorded in 1580–90; shag ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

This “Last Dance” may be shaggy, silly and even a little bit stupid — and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially when it’s winking so hard at its own genre play.

From Los Angeles Times

Staples, a third alum of Scorsese’s movie, led an appealingly shaggy take on “The Weight” that featured a pair of jam-band icons in the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and Phish’s Trey Anastasio.

From Los Angeles Times

"Leigh’s films can feel shaggy and unstructured on first viewing," added Variety's Peter Debruge.

From BBC

A movement long defined by shaggy hippies encamped in old-growth redwoods and Indigenous protesters chained to construction equipment was remade in the image of two nonbinary university students wielding cans of tomato soup.

From Los Angeles Times

After the Great New York State Fair, TLC was set to join Shaggy for a Saturday performance at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. T-Boz remained “under medical supervision” and was expected to be released Sunday, the statement said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• furry
• long-haired