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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tattered
worn or torn into or as if into rags
finally convinced her to throw away her favorite pair of jeans, ragged from years of yard work
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in uneven
not having a level or smooth surface
she cut herself on the ragged edge of the tin can's lid
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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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as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
several readers called in to rag the editor for his paper's repeated grammatical lapses
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ragged
A.o. Scott, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Unlike so many other action filmmakers, Tjahanto relies on visual clarity when his colleagues often employ quick edits to hide the ragged seams of their fight scenes.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
The incline left my legs burning and my breath ragged, and my pace slowed despite my best efforts.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Aug. 2025
Travis Kelce knows all about sacrificing, training and running your body ragged in order to play like a champ on game day.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ragged
Adjective
Frost is, by reputation, perhaps the foremost poet of rural, non-coastal New England — of birches and apple trees, of forests blanketed in snow, of pastures sliced by ragged stone walls, and of the flinty, self-sufficient kind of temperament that flourishes in those places.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Unlike so many other action filmmakers, Tjahanto relies on visual clarity when his colleagues often employ quick edits to hide the ragged seams of their fight scenes.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
The incline left my legs burning and my breath ragged, and my pace slowed despite my best efforts.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Aug. 2025
Travis Kelce knows all about sacrificing, training and running your body ragged in order to play like a champ on game day.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ragged
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ragged
Adjective
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With over 70,000 acres available to explore, visitors can take on the park’s 136 miles of trail, visit high alpine lakes, and climb jagged peaks.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
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Nowadays, wig enthusiasts are shaping their lace to mimic more of a natural hairline that may include a widow’s peak, and or more jagged instead of rigid hair line, so definitely keep that customization option in mind.—
Noel Cymone Walker,
StyleCaster,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the artwork, the 29-year-old is wearing a tattered white gown and a bright yellow parachute that is caught in a tree with a serene, blue sky in the background.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
23 Sep. 2025
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The emperor died immediately, and afterward his assassins dragged his tattered remains through the streets of Haiti’s future capital.—
Marlene L. Daut
September 22,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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It’s been a rough couple of years and an uneven few weeks for the Broncos’ secondary, which often finds itself on the receiving end of criticism for surrendering big plays and big passing yards.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Sep. 2025
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For the uninitiated, navigating the uneven streets in high heels is a balancing act.—
Abbey Hudetz,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
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The heartwarming video, shared on Saturday by @inboxunknown15, shows the pup sitting head down, facing the wall, looking sad and ashamed after being scolded by his owner’s girlfriend.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In 1975, Elvis was a faded star in Vegas and Robert Johnson was just another obscure dead bluesman.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
22 Sep. 2025
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Williams, in a faded plaid shirt, gray hair sprouting from under a John Deere hat, paced.—
Molly Parker,
ProPublica,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The youngest brother, Benjamin, a laudanum addict is the black sheep of the family and his costumes are equally dark and rugged.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
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Where to stay Set along an 11-mile stretch of deserted beach on Sardinia’s rugged Costa Verde, Le Dune Piscinas is framed by Europe’s tallest sand dunes, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.—
Chloe Arrojado,
AFAR Media,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Clarke and his business partner sold photographs and films, wrote and lectured about their adventures, and began treasure hunting.—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Sep. 2025
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Vance lectured Zelenskyy and argued the wartime leader hadn’t shown proper gratitude for the billions of dollars in military assistance the United States has given to his country.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But for that swing to be such a huge whiff, and then to be on stage playing your own protagonist while the excitement of the audience audibly wanes around you for two laborious hours … That’s rough, buddy.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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The more likely scenario, the NWS said, is that the storm stays farther offshore and South Florida’s biggest impact is rough surf starting Sunday.—
Alex Harris
Updated September 26,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ragged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ragged. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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