ragged

 
Pronunciation: /ˈragɪd/

adjective

  • 1(of cloth or clothes) old and torn: a rough-looking man wearing ragged clothes
  • wearing old and torn clothes: a ragged child
  • 2having a rough or irregular surface or edge: a ragged coastline
  • (of an animal) having a rough, shaggy coat: a pair of ragged ponies
  • Printing (especially of a right margin) uneven because the lines are unjustified.
  • 3lacking finish, smoothness, or uniformity: the ragged discipline of the players
  • (of a sound) not controlled; uneven: his breathing became ragged
  • 4suffering from exhaustion or stress: he looked a little ragged, a little shadowy beneath the eyes

Phrases

run someone ragged

exhaust someone by making them undertake a lot of physical activity: for 20 minutes Middlesbrough ran us ragged

Derivatives

raggedly

adverb

raggedness

noun

Origin:

Middle English: of Scandinavian origin; compare with Old Norse rǫgvathr 'tufted' and Norwegian ragget 'shaggy'