1
as in jagged
having an uneven edge or outline
a scraggy beard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uneven
not having a level or smooth surface
climbers badly scraped their limbs on the scraggy cliffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 scraggy
Fauja Singh was 89, thin as a reed, and had a scraggy beard that nearly reached his chest.
—
Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 July 2025
Three years later, the follow-up, Caroline 2, expands outward in every direction, pairing scraggy, strummed chorales with heart-on-sleeve mantras and distorted furore.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 May 2025
Airless Spaces might easily be read as the scraggy roman à clef of an ex-revolutionary, defined by its lack of engagement with the former work of its author.
—Audrey Wollen, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
From scraggy shores beyond the Golden Gate to miles-long coastline in Los Angeles County to the bohemian charm of Laguna, this list of the best beaches in California might just convince you that the West Coast really is the best one, indeed.
—Katie Kiefner, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2025
A lot of the music that came out of the Lower East Side was very scraggy.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2023
Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 July 2025
Three years later, the follow-up, Caroline 2, expands outward in every direction, pairing scraggy, strummed chorales with heart-on-sleeve mantras and distorted furore.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 May 2025
Airless Spaces might easily be read as the scraggy roman à clef of an ex-revolutionary, defined by its lack of engagement with the former work of its author.
—Audrey Wollen, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
From scraggy shores beyond the Golden Gate to miles-long coastline in Los Angeles County to the bohemian charm of Laguna, this list of the best beaches in California might just convince you that the West Coast really is the best one, indeed.
—Katie Kiefner, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2025
A lot of the music that came out of the Lower East Side was very scraggy.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scraggy
Adjective
-
Similarly, George Crumb’s 1970 Black Angels, composed in response to the Vietnam War, includes jagged marks that approximate the sound of helicopters.—
Olivia Giovetti,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Giles Deacon blue and green jagged stripe) as a base option.—
Stephanie Sporn,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
While Beijing has rolled out trade-in subsidies to spur sales of cars and appliances, the rebound in spending has been uneven.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
More clients mean uneven cash timing.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
At 836,000 square miles, Greenland is nearly 80 percent ice, a frozen leaf dangling in the far North Atlantic with dramatic, ragged edges, impossibly sheer cliffs that dwarf even El Capitan, and a massive ice sheet as thick as 11,000 feet.—
Tim Neville,
Outside,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Her breath was becoming more ragged.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Excavators working at a rugged eastern Oregon ranch recently uncovered evidence of Chinese immigrants working as cowboys — a role rarely associated with the American West.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Inspired by Montana’s rugged landscape, Grant Achatz of Michelin two-star Alinea in Chicago chose Big Sky for his restaurant’s 20th-anniversary world tour (Tokyo, Beverly Hills, Brooklyn, and Miami were also stops).—
Amy Tara Koch,
Robb Report,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For hikers and residents, the steel lattice towers rising from the horizon carrying high-voltage transmission lines up and over the mountains are as recognizable as the bucolic dirt paths, scraggly chapparal, and, at slightly higher elevations, old oaks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The marker was tucked among scraggly mountain mahogany.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The lynchpin to it all is recognizing that 69% of gross domestic product, a rough though imperfect measure of the economy, is consumer spending.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The hilarious ensemble comedy plays out during a dinner party between a couple who are going through a rough patch and their upstairs neighbors, who turn out to be swingers.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Customers are also digging through the drawers for scrap gold and unwanted or broken jewelry.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Is this a buying opportunity or a broken narrative?—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scraggy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scraggy. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
