ragged

[rag-id] / ˈræg ɪd /

ADJECTIVE

worn-out; in shreds

Synonyms

STRONG

battered broken dilapidated disorganized fragmented frayed frazzled jagged mean notched patched rent rough serrated shredded torn

WEAK

badly dressed badly worn contemptible crude desultory dingy down-at-the-heel full of holes in holes in rags in tatters irregular moth-eaten poor poorly made rugged scraggy seedy shabby shaggy shoddy tacky tattered tatty threadbare uneven unfinished unkempt unpressed worse for wear

Antonyms

STRONG

complete even fixed nice polite smooth

WEAK

kempt new

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Few have gotten more out of three ragged chords than Diamond did in his first Top 10 single.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Comma butterflies, with their distinctively ragged wing edges, have recovered in numbers since the survey began.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

This wasn’t “an argument between genteel parties in Congress,” William Hogeland writes in his history, The Whiskey Rebellion, “but…a guerrilla war on the country’s ragged margin, our first war for the American soul.”

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Facing obstacles – be they ragged clothes that triggered childhood bullying or high school classmates who ridiculed her for favoring country music over The Beatles – became a way of life for Dolly.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026

Tattered, bleeding, ragged, and stunned I come out the end of the gorge to crash in the next checkpoint and spend the day recovering.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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