haggard

1 of 2

adjective

hag·​gard ˈha-gərd 

1

of a hawk : not tamed

2

a

: wild in appearance

b

: having a worn or emaciated appearance : gaunt

haggard faces looked up sadly from out of the straw

—W. M. Thackeray

haggardly adverb

haggardness noun

haggard

2 of 2

noun

1

: an adult hawk caught wild

2

obsolete : an intractable person

Synonyms

Adjective

• cadaverous
• emaciated
• gaunt
• skeletal
• wasted

Examples of haggard in a Sentence

Adjective

She looked tired and haggard.

We were shocked by his haggard appearance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Weinstein often looked haggard and out of it — unshaven, mouth ajar, eyes bleary. —Phoebe Eaton, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025

The scene makes Perkins crack up — Death looks tired and haggard, his job is never done (especially this week), and while the father-son may have escaped this round, their paths will cross in some unknowable way in the future. —Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025

There’s a slight Francis Bacon aspect to them, poetic but at the same time incontrovertibly real, depicting every distorted limb, every haggard face and emaciated body, every wound and scar. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025

Nobody could have given this song so much haggard soul. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle French hagard

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for haggard

• laggard
• staggered
• swaggered

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

haggard

adjective

hag·​gard

ˈhag-ərd

: very thin especially from great hunger, worry, or pain

Biographical Definition

Haggard

biographical name

Hag·​gard ˈha-gərd 

Sir (Henry) Rider 1856–1925 English novelist