Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "ragged" []

  • Tattered, frayed, or torn: ragged clothes. (adjective)
  • Dressed in tattered or threadbare clothes: a ragged scarecrow. (adjective)
  • Unkempt or shaggy: ragged hair. (adjective)
  • Having an irregular surface or edge; uneven or jagged in outline: a column of text set with a ragged right margin. (adjective)
  • Imperfect; uneven: The actor gave a ragged performance. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "ragged" in a sentence
  • "Agincourt.] [Footnote IV. 16: _Their ragged curtains poorly are let loose, _] By their _ragged curtains_, are meant their colours.]"
  • "The columns are designed with what we call ragged right -- a different design than news stories -- to help differentiate between column and news."
  • "They look like miniature chimney sweeps in ragged clothes."