ragged

UK: /ˈrægɪd/ US: /ˈrægɪd/ ,(rag′id)

From the verb rag: (⇒ conjugate)

ragged is: ⓘ

v past

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

rag•ged /ˈrægɪd/   adj. 

1. wearing tattered, worn-out clothing:
   ragged beggars.
2. torn or worn to rags;
   tattered:
   ragged pants.
3. jagged and uneven:
   a ragged hole where the bullet had gone through.
4. rough, imperfect, or faulty:
   a ragged performance.
5. scraggly:
   a ragged line of customers.

rag•ged•ness, n. [uncountable]
rag•ged•y, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

rag•ged  (rag′id), adj. 

1. clothed in tattered garments:
   a ragged old man.
2. torn or worn to rags;
   tattered:
   ragged clothing.
3. shaggy, as an animal, its coat, etc.
4. having loose or hanging shreds or fragmentary bits:
   a ragged wound.
5. full of rough or sharp projections;
   jagged:
   ragged stones.
6. in a wild or neglected state:
   a ragged garden.
7. rough, imperfect, or faulty:
   a ragged piece of work.
8. harsh, as sound, the voice, etc.
9. Printing (of a column of type) set or printed with one side unjustified;
   either flush left with the right side unjustified (rag′ged right′) or flush right with the left side unjustified (rag′ged left′.)

• Middle English ragget. See rag¹, -ed³ 1250–1300

rag′ged•ly, adv. 
rag′ged•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. shabby, poor.
• 2. shredded, rent.

Antonyms

• 1. neat.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ragged / ˈræɡɪd/ adjective

1. (of clothes) worn to rags; tattered
2. (of a person) dressed in shabby tattered clothes
3. having a neglected or unkempt appearance: ragged weeds
4. having a loose, rough, or uneven surface or edge; jagged
5. uneven or irregular: a ragged beat, a ragged shout

Etymology: 13th Century: probably from ragge rag¹

ˈraggedly adverb

ˈraggedness noun

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

rag¹ /ræg/   n. 

1. a piece of cloth, esp. one that is torn or worn:
   [countable] Get a rag and start dusting with it.
   [uncountable] a piece of rag.
2. rags, [plural] tattered clothing:
   dressed in rags.
3. [countable] [Informal.] a newspaper or magazine thought of as being of low or poor quality.

Idioms

4. from rags to riches, from a state of poverty to that of wealth.

rag² /ræg/   v. [~ + object] , ragged, rag•ging. [Informal.]

1. Informal Terms to scold.
2. Informal Terms to tease.

rag⁴ /ræg/   n. [countable]

1. Music and Dance a piece of music in ragtime.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

rag¹  (rag), n. 

1. a worthless piece of cloth, esp. one that is torn or worn.
2. rags, ragged or tattered clothing:
   The tramp was dressed in rags.
3. any article of apparel regarded deprecatingly or self-deprecatingly, esp. a dress:
   It's just an old rag I had in the closet.
4. a shred, scrap, or fragmentary bit of anything.
5. Informal Terms
   • something of very low value or in very poor condition.
   • a newspaper or magazine regarded with contempt or distaste:
     Are you still subscribing to that rag?
6. a person of shabby or exhausted appearance.
7. Building a large roofing slate that has one edge untrimmed.
8. chew the rag. See chew (def. 9).
9. from rags to riches, from extreme poverty to great wealth:
   He went from rags to riches in only three years.

• Old Norse rǫgg
• Scandinavian; compare Norwegian, Swedish ragg coarse hair
• Middle English ragge 1275–1325

rag²  (rag), v., ragged, rag•ging, n. [Informal.]
v.t. 

1. Informal Terms to scold.
2. Informal Terms to subject to a teasing, esp. in an intense or prolonged way (often fol. by on):
   Some of the boys were ragging on him about his haircut.
3. Informal Terms, British Terms [Brit.] to torment with jokes;
   play crude practical jokes on.

n. 

4. Informal Terms, British Terms [Brit.] an act of ragging.

• origin, originally uncertain 1790–1800

rag³  (rag), v.t., ragged, rag•ging. 

1. Metallurgy, Mining to break up (lumps of ore) for sorting. [1870–75;
   orig. uncert.]

rag⁴  (rag), n., v., ragged, rag•ging. 
n. 

1. Music and Dance a musical composition in ragtime:
   a piano rag.

v.t. 

2. Music and Dance to play (music) in ragtime.

• shortened form of ragtime 1895–1900

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

rag / ræɡ/ noun

1. a small piece of cloth, such as one torn from a discarded garment, or such pieces of cloth collectively
2. (as modifier): a rag doll, a rag book, rag paper
3. a fragmentary piece of any material; scrap; shred
4. a newspaper or other journal, esp one considered as worthless, sensational, etc
5. an item of clothing
6. a handkerchief
7. a flag or ensign

Etymology: 14th Century: probably back formation from ragged, from Old English raggig; related to Old Norse rögg tuft

rag / ræɡ/ verb (rags, ragging, ragged)(transitive)

1. to draw attention facetiously and persistently to the shortcomings or alleged shortcomings of (a person)
2. to play rough practical jokes on

noun

1. a boisterous practical joke, esp one on a fellow student
2. (in British universities) a period, usually a week, in which various events are organized to raise money for charity, including a procession of decorated floats and tableaux
3. (as modifier): rag day

Etymology: 18th Century: of uncertain origin

rag / ræɡ/ noun

1. a piece of ragtime music

verb (rags, ragging, ragged)

1. (transitive) to compose or perform in ragtime

Etymology: 20th Century: shortened from ragtime