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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
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 14 June 2026
But few would describe this year’s ragtag selection of new musicals as robust.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
In this case, Nathan Fillion's Mal Reynolds plays the wisecracking and morally ambiguous Solo-type role, while he's accompanied by a ragtag crew aboard his ship, known as Serenity.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 3 June 2026
Like Stranger Things, The Boroughs follows a ragtag group of unlikely heroes facing terrifying supernatural forces.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ragtag
Cite this Entry
“Ragtag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ragtag. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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ragtag
adjective
