ragged

comparative more ragged · superlative most ragged

1. In tatters, having the texture broken.

   a ragged coat

   1 more example

   a ragged sail

2. Having rough edges; jagged or uneven

   ragged rocks

3. Harsh-sounding; having an unpleasant noise

   There was a ragged noise of bleating from the flock penned in a corner of the yard. Two red-armed men seized a sheep, hauled it to a large bath that stood in the middle of the yard, and there held it, more or less in the bath, whilst a third man baled a dirty yellow liquid over its body.

   1912, David Herbert Lawrence, chapter 12, in The Trespasser

4. Wearing tattered clothes.

   a ragged person

   1 more example

   She ran to the door and there beheld the ragged street urchin calmly playing his organ.

   1956 [1880], Johanna Spyri, Heidi, translation of original by Eileen Hall, page 84

5. Rough; shaggy; rugged.

   Seeking out the poorer quarters Where the ragged people go

   1969, “The Boxer”, in Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel (music), Bridge over Troubled Water, Columbia Records

6. Faulty; lacking in skill, reliability, or organization.

   Now I realize how ridiculous and almost impertinent it was to expect New Yorkers to accept such a ragged performance for they have always demanded the best and do not tolerate the second-rate."

   2010, Dall Wilson, Alice Nielsen and the Gayety of Nations, →ISBN, page 318

   2 more examples

   Allardyce's side had led at the break through a Carlton Cole strike but after Thomas Ince - son of former Hammers midfielder Paul - levelled shortly after the restart, the match became increasingly stretched and ragged.

   2012 May 19, Paul Fletcher, “Blackpool 1-2 West Ham”, in BBC Sport

   Despite the apparent general viability of the AVF its ragged performance serves to motivate serious questions concerning its future viability, the quality of the defense that we are buying, and the AVF's effect on our nation and society.

   2013, William J. Taylor, Eric T. Olson, Richard A. Schrader, Defense Manpower Planning: Issues for the 1980s, →ISBN, page 219

7. entertainmentPerformed in a syncopated manner, especially in ragtime.
8. computingOf a data structure: having uneven levels.

   a ragged hierarchy

   1 more example

   a ragged array, consisting of a number of arrays of varying size

   Synonyms: jagged

9. mediaNot justified; having an uneven vertical margin.

   Newspaper columns should never be set ragged.

1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of rag