ragged

Adjective

ragged (comparative more ragged, superlative most ragged)

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
7. Performed in a syncopated manner, especially in ragtime.
8. Of a data structure: having uneven levels.
   • a ragged hierarchy
   • a ragged array, consisting of a number of arrays of varying size

   Synonyms:

   jagged

9. Not justified; having an uneven vertical margin.
   • Newspaper columns should never be set ragged.