ragged 1 of 2

adjective

ˈra-gəd How to pronounce ragged (audio)
Definition of raggednext
1
as in jagged
having an uneven edge or outline the Rocky Mountains cut an angular, ragged profile against the sky, in contrast to the rounded silhouette of the rolling, green Adirondack Mountains

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tattered
worn or torn into or as if into rags finally convinced her to throw away her favorite pair of jeans, ragged from years of yard work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in uneven
not having a level or smooth surface she cut herself on the ragged edge of the tin can's lid

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in raggedy
wearing torn or worn-out clothes ragged and hungry refugees emerging from the jungle where they had been in hiding for weeks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ragged

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rag
as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings several readers called in to rag the editor for his paper's repeated grammatical lapses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ragged
Adjective
The jokes are still wildly scattershot and frequently, knowingly lame; the production is still cheap and cheerfully scrappy; the whole ragged enterprise is still reliant on the evident affection and chemistry between its players to hold it together. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026 At 43, Laferte’s vocal cords have reached a decadent peak — angry and ragged, deliciously wounded. — Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
Verb
On that night in March, to the surprise of nobody, Arsenal ran their mid-table Premier League hosts ragged, beating them 5-1, with Henry and Freddie Ljungberg scoring twice, and Kolo Toure netting the other. — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ragged
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ragged
  1. jagged
  2. tattered
  3. uneven
  4. scolded
  5. faded
  6. rugged
  7. lectured
  8. rough
Adjective
  • Menart’s script does a fine job of building out these jagged women with a sharp eye for the growing pains of flesh-and-bones relationships born from the seed of virtual connection.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The lush valleys flanking the Teahupo’o coastline are full of drama, with towering, jagged peaks and vertiginous ridges—many far off the grid and only accessible via boat.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of jagged
Adjective
  • The ferocious character also features shaggy black-and-orange hair that matches his tattered pants, and a large necklace adorned with teeth.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 30 July 2026
  • The trailer finds the film’s protagonists alternately hunting or fleeing the vicious creature — or creatures — through a tattered town known as Hope Harbor, a remote coastal village near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in South Korea.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026
Definition of tattered
Adjective
  • Companies are exploring different robotic designs for transportation, industrial work and mobility, with quadruped systems offering potential advantages on uneven terrain.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
  • König suggests strength training and reformer Pilates before casually adjusting my slightly uneven hips with chiropractic confidence.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of uneven
Verb
  • In fact, during testing, the handheld triggered nostalgic memories of playing Final Fantasy Legend and Mario Land 2 on long car rides to my grandparents' house, but without the eye strain and being scolded for playing in the dark as the sun set.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026
  • For over a year, the White House has scolded and threatened the Smithsonian.
    — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of scolded
Adjective
  • The team behind this research studied 14 candidates for faded or remnant radio galaxies found in a region of the sky over Earth, studied intensely by the XMM-Newton X-ray spacecraft, called the XMM–Newton Large-Scale Structure (XMM–LSS) field.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • How to Deadhead Coneflowers Deadheading coneflowers is as simple as removing the faded flower heads.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of faded
Adjective
  • As the chief medical examiner for a county that stores the most human remains in the nation, Greg Hess has for decades been accustomed to the many that arrive at his office every year after being found in the vast and rugged southern Arizona desert.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • In other words, CFMoto hasn't simply built a giant road tourer with rugged styling; the hardware clearly suggests the Ibex 950 is ready when the pavement ends.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of rugged
Verb
  • We’re also lectured early on that Cole is a chess master, but his alleged intelligence never pays off.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • None of that made it into the discussion before Wilder lectured the girls about how to think.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of lectured
Adjective
  • Tampa Bay capitalized on a rough outing by Jesús Sánchez, who struggled to track two fly balls against the Tropicana Field roof.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • His platform season has been so rough that a lot of his closest comps in WAR are guys coming off serious injuries.
    — Tim Britton, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of rough

Browse Nearby Words

rages
ragged
ragged on
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ragged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ragged. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All