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rag·ged

(răgĭd)

adj.

1. Tattered, frayed, or torn: ragged clothes.

2. Dressed in tattered or threadbare clothes: a ragged scarecrow.

3. Unkempt or shaggy: ragged hair.

4. Having an irregular surface or edge; uneven or jagged in outline: a column of text set with a ragged right margin.

5. Imperfect; uneven: The actor gave a ragged performance.

6. Harsh; rasping: a ragged cough.

7. Exhausted or worn out: Don't run yourself ragged preparing for the holidays.

[Middle English, from ragge, rag; see RAG¹.]

ragged·ly adv.

ragged·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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