ragged 1 of 2

1
as in jagged
having an uneven edge or outline the Rocky Mountains cut an angular, ragged profile against the sky, in contrast to the rounded silhouette of the rolling, green Adirondack Mountains

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2
3
4
as in raggedy
wearing torn or worn-out clothes ragged and hungry refugees emerging from the jungle where they had been in hiding for weeks

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ragged

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rag

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ragged
Adjective
Doncic had a ragged shooting night, making 6 of 17 field goal attempts and 1 for 7 from 3-point range. Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 26 Feb. 2025 Put all those elements together and Spurs are suddenly a very different prospect from the exhausted, ragged group that trudged from game to game not very long ago. Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025 Is there something about the needy Anja and her ragged child that the barren Isabell responds to? Alissa Simon, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025 Helena reached the microlight, adjusted her ponytail, and then climbed into the back seat, as the birds flew in ragged circles nearby. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ragged
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ragged
Adjective
  • The thunder rolled and lightning danced among the jagged peaks as a summer rainstorm soaked the alpine meadows of California’s Sierra Nevada.
    Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2025
  • In addition to more glaciers (circa 300) than any other national park in the Lower 48 states, North Cascades boasts dozens of jagged snowy peaks, wild rivers, tranquil lakes, and among the highest biodiversity of any U.S. park.
    Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • Its tattered and faded copy of the Magna Carta is worth millions of dollars, Carpenter estimated—though Harvard has no plans to sell it.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
  • The bottom half of the dog's body stayed pinned underneath a tattered couch on a pile of trash as flies circled him.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Bread crumbs • Props to the hair, makeup, and costuming departments for differentiating Kiki’s Simone from pre-Michaela Simone, who showed up to the island with a scraggly ponytail, a gray button-down, uneven skin, and scrawled tattoos.
    Caroline Framke, Vulture, 23 May 2025
  • Case for caution: On the flip side, skeptics point to the uneven performances, particularly internationally, and concerns about his hockey sense.
    Corey Pronman, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Her devotees are still sweating through workouts at a faded gym in Queens.
    Alex Vadukul, New York Times, 21 May 2025
  • It’s all come a long way from Tennant’s time in a house of eight girls at university, laundry drying racks layered with shapeless, faded underwear.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • After a rugged childhood without electricity or indoor plumbing, Robertson earned a football scholarship to Louisiana Tech University.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 26 May 2025
  • Groups were scaling the 30-foot steel border fence with rope ladders, or crawling through gaps sawed into the old steel mesh fencing, hundreds of people a day in a 20-mile stretch starting at the rugged mountainside of Mt. Cristo Rey.
    Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 26 May 2025
Adjective
  • That gave me my confidence back after a pretty rough departure from NBC.
    Angela Andaloro, People.com, 22 May 2025
  • The 200 square miles of surrounding coral reefs proved rough for mariners, but divers now reap the benefits with some 300 shipwrecks to explore, from the 192-foot American schooner Constellation that sank during World War II to the Mary Celestia, a Civil War era paddle-wheeler.
    Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Kansas City police were called to the Betty Rae’s location on Delaware Street on Oct. 13 and discovered a broken glass door and that a safe had been stolen, according to court documents.
    Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2025
  • Inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which is repairing broken pottery with gold, Rochette embraced her physical and emotional scars as essential parts of her story.
    Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Verb
  • Some of Mangione's supporters have left messages of praise for him, while others have criticized the fundraising efforts.
    Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Bo French, the chairman of the Tarrant County, Texas, GOP, criticized Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, alleging that an emphasis on DEI programs had undermined the military's effectiveness.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Ragged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ragged. Accessed 30 May. 2025.

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