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Breaking Down Ragtag
Tag and rag was a relatively common expression in the 16th and 17th centuries, and it was often used pejoratively to refer to members of the lower classes of society. By the 18th century, the phrase had been expanded to ragtag and bobtail. That expression could mean either "the lower classes" or "the entire lot of something" (as opposed to just the more desirable parts—the entire unit of an army, for example, not just its more capable soldiers). Something described as ragtag and bobtail, then, was usually common and unspectacular. Ragtag and bobtail was eventually shortened to ragtag, the adjective we know today, which can describe an odd mixture that is often hastily assembled or second-rate.
Examples of ragtag in a Sentence
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
She’s trained, but nothing prepares her—or the ragtag group of contestants—for what actually happens when the cameras stop rolling and things start to go wrong.
—Emilee Coblentz, Outside, 20 Nov. 2025
The musical features a ragtag group who help Jesus tell various parables.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
Between Peppermint Party inviting the Peanuts gang to Charlie Brown's house and Snoopy cooking up his own version of a Thanksgiving meal with Woodstock, the ragtag group of friends has quite a bit to sort out on Turkey Day, especially Charlie Brown, who was supposed to visit his grandmother.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ragtag
Cite this Entry
“Ragtag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ragtag. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
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ragtag
adjective
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