ragged
adj/ˈɹæɡɪd/
Etymology From Middle English ragged, from North Germanic. Compare with Old Norse rǫgvaðr (“tufted”) and Norwegian ragget (“shaggy”).
9 senses
- 1In tatters, having the texture broken.
- 2Having rough edges; jagged or uneven
- 3Harsh-sounding; having an unpleasant noise
- 4Wearing tattered clothes.
- 5Rough; shaggy; rugged.
- 6Faulty; lacking in skill, reliability, or organization.
- 7Performed in a syncopated manner, especially in ragtime.
- 8Of a data structure: having uneven levels.
- 9Not justified; having an uneven vertical margin.
1
In tatters, having the texture broken.
- a ragged coat
- 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
- 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 go1969, “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:
- 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:
1 more example
- 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
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Performed in a syncopated manner, especially in ragtime.
8
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Of a data structure: having uneven levels.
- a ragged hierarchy
- a ragged array, consisting of a number of arrays of varying size
9
Media, Publishing, Typography Of a block of type Not justified; having an uneven vertical margin.
- Newspaper columns should never be set ragged.
- Derived terms
- ragged array, ragged fringed orchid, ragged lady, raggedly, raggedness, ragged red fibers, ragged-right, ragged right, ragged robbin, ragged robin, ragged sailor, ragged school, ragged staff, raggedy, raggie, run someone ragged