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ragged

 - 11 dictionary results

rag⋅ged

  [rag-id]
Use ragged in a Sentence
–adjective
1. clothed in tattered garments: a ragged old man.
2. torn or worn to rags; tattered: ragged clothing.
3. shaggy, as an animal, its coat, etc.
4. having loose or hanging shreds or fragmentary bits: a ragged wound.
5. full of rough or sharp projections; jagged: ragged stones.
6. in a wild or neglected state: a ragged garden.
7. rough, imperfect, or faulty: a ragged piece of work.
8. harsh, as sound, the voice, etc.
9. (of a column of type) set or printed with one side unjustified; either flush left with the right side unjustified (ragged right) or flush right with the left side unjustified (ragged left).
Origin:
1250–1300; ME ragget. See rag 1 , -ed 3

Related forms:
rag⋅ged⋅ly, adverb
rag⋅ged⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. shabby, poor. 2. shredded, rent.

Antonyms:
1. neat.

rag

2  [rag] verb, ragged, rag⋅ging, noun Informal.
–verb (used with object)
1. to scold.
2. to subject to a teasing, esp. in an intense or prolonged way (often fol. by on): Some of the boys were ragging on him about his haircut.
3. British. to torment with jokes; play crude practical jokes on.
–noun
4. British. an act of ragging.
Origin:
1790–1800; orig. uncert.

rag

3  [rag]
–verb (used with object), ragged, rag⋅ging.
to break up (lumps of ore) for sorting.
Origin:
1870–75; orig. uncert.

rag

4  [rag] noun, verb, ragged, rag⋅ging.
–noun
1. a musical composition in ragtime: a piano rag.
–verb (used with object)
2. to play (music) in ragtime.
Origin:
1895–1900; shortened form of ragtime
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ragged
rag 2   (rāg)   
tr.v.   ragged, rag·ging, rags

  1. Slang To tease or taunt. See Synonyms at banter.

  2. Slang To berate; scold.

  3. Chiefly British To play a joke on.

  4. Sports In ice hockey, to maintain possession of (the puck) by outmaneuvering opposing players, especially so as to kill a penalty.

n.   Chiefly British
A practical joke; a prank.

[Origin unknown.]
rag 4   (rāg)   
tr.v.   ragged, rag·ging, rags
To compose or play (a piece) in ragtime.
n.  A piece written in ragtime.

[Perhaps from ragged.]
rag·ged   (rāg'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.


[Middle English, from ragge, rag; see rag1.]
rag'ged·ly adv., rag'ged·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
rag

  1. n.
    a newspaper. : What a rag! It's only good for putting in the bottom of bird cages!
  2. n.
    ugly or badly styled clothing; an ugly garment. : I can't wear that rag!
  3. n.
    any clothing, even the best. (Always plural.) : Man, I got some new rags that will knock your eyes out!
  4. n.
    a sanitary napkin; a tampon. (For use in the menstrual cycle. Usually objectionable.) : God, I've got to change this rag!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

rag  (v.)
"scold," 1739, of unknown origin; perhaps related to Dan. dialectal rag "grudge."

ragged 
"rough, shaggy," c.1300, from rag (n.), but earliest use is not directly from the main sense of that word and may reflect a broader, older meaning. Of clothes, c.1325; of persons, c.1375. Raggedy Ann doll first attested 1918.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

ragged

see run one ragged.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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