1
: roughly unkempt
2
: having an irregular edge or outline
3
a
: torn or worn to tatters
b
: worn-out from stress and strain
ran herself ragged
4
: wearing tattered clothes
raggedly
adverb
raggedness
noun
Examples of ragged in a Sentence
a boy in ragged jeans
You look a little ragged—did you have a rough week?
Recent Examples on the Web
This beautifully dark, occasionally mournful double-album finds the quartet playing tracks from their first three LPs with the kind of ragged intensity that would soon become part of their past.
—
Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 11 Apr. 2024
This aspirational consumerist playground is grafted onto a ragged infrastructure.
—Gaiutra Bahadur Keisha Scarville, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
In the distance, rising against the stars, was a ragged range of mountains.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
The determined cheer, polishing the more ragged edges of Howard Ashman’s book, proves most problematic for the show’s theoretical climax, when Audrey finds out what really feeds the plant.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
People were walking their dogs on the fairway, which was looking rather ragged and unkempt.
—Cara Buckley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
Winslet’s Mare is a ragged reflection of the weary town itself.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Taken by amateurs with the cameras of their day, the photos often have a ragged beauty to them, compared with today’s digital perfection, and also a special intimacy.
—Jack Nicas, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2024
What Gerwig captured — and, remarkably, was permitted by Mattel to capture — is the ragged, inspiring way that many little girls have played with their Barbie dolls over time.
—M.g. Lord, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2024
Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 11 Apr. 2024
This aspirational consumerist playground is grafted onto a ragged infrastructure.
—Gaiutra Bahadur Keisha Scarville, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
In the distance, rising against the stars, was a ragged range of mountains.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
The determined cheer, polishing the more ragged edges of Howard Ashman’s book, proves most problematic for the show’s theoretical climax, when Audrey finds out what really feeds the plant.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
People were walking their dogs on the fairway, which was looking rather ragged and unkempt.
—Cara Buckley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
Winslet’s Mare is a ragged reflection of the weary town itself.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Taken by amateurs with the cameras of their day, the photos often have a ragged beauty to them, compared with today’s digital perfection, and also a special intimacy.
—Jack Nicas, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2024
What Gerwig captured — and, remarkably, was permitted by Mattel to capture — is the ragged, inspiring way that many little girls have played with their Barbie dolls over time.
—M.g. Lord, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ragged.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ragged
Cite this Entry
“Ragged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ragged. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ragged
adjective
rag·ged
ˈrag-əd 
1
: having a rough or uneven edge or outline
ragged cliffs
2
a
: torn or worn to or as if to tatters
a ragged dress
b
: wearing tattered clothes
a ragged child
3
: done in an uneven way
a ragged performance
raggedly
adverb
raggedness
noun
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