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 shout

   a ragged beat

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

Rather than centering in on one main attraction or ecosystem, the park straddles a few radically different zones—temperate rainforest, glacier-capped peaks, and ragged Pacific coastline.

From Outside Online

As if teachers, books, museums, historical sites, documents and documentaries didn’t exist, and a poop-covered statue surrounded by ragged bushes and paper-bag bench warmers was the sole repository of all Civil War information.

From Washington Post

However, if its low-level circulation becomes shredded and ragged following its encounter with Cuba, it will be more difficult for Elsa to reorganize.

From Washington Post

To make it through a ragged season, the NBA relied on a point guard revival.

From Washington Post

Tucked underneath the moss-lined trunks of enormous spruce trees are two secluded campsites overlooking the ragged Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula.

From Outside Online

He became delirious, his heartbeat grew ragged, his blood teemed with the virus, and his lungs, liver and kidneys began to fail.

From The Daily Beast

The low crunch of packed dirt against rubber tire was overwhelmed by the ragged explosions of automatic gunfire.

From The Daily Beast

We are sitting in a ragged park behind a McDonalds restaurant on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital.

From The Daily Beast

Beneath the layers of hurt, beneath the ragged laughter, I heard awillingness to endure.

From The Daily Beast

The final score flattered Brazil, which had looked ragged and complacent for much of the game.

From The Daily Beast

But not too big for the ragged old arm that felled it down as an axe fells the last rings of a stricken tree.

From Project Gutenberg

A handkerchief, once red, with polka spots, contained a ragged flannel shirt and a stocking-heel tied with a piece of tape.

From Project Gutenberg

Nevertheless, he was girt with a sword in a ragged scabbard hanging from a frayed and shabby belt of leather.

From Project Gutenberg

The girl looked round the ragged moor, brooding in the twilight, and half hesitated.

From Project Gutenberg

The spell was broken, and Mr. Carr took out his watch as he turned his eyes on a ragged urchin who had called to him from below.

From Project Gutenberg