ragged

Etymology 1

From Middle English ragged, from North Germanic. Compare with Old Norse rǫgvaðr (“tufted”) and Norwegian ragget (“shaggy”).

adj

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.
   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
   a ragged person
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, 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. May 19, 2012, 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, page 219
7. (music) Performed in a syncopated manner, especially in ragtime.
8. (computing) Of a data structure: having uneven levels.
   a ragged hierarchy
   a ragged array, consisting of a number of arrays of varying size

Etymology 2

From rag.

verb

1. simple past and past participle of rag