haggard

1 of 2

adjective

hag·​gard ˈha-gərd 

1

of a hawk : not tamed

2

a

: wild in appearance

b

: having a worn or emaciated appearance : gaunt

haggard faces looked up sadly from out of the straw

—W. M. Thackeray

haggardly adverb

haggardness noun

haggard

2 of 2

noun

1

: an adult hawk caught wild

2

obsolete : an intractable person

Synonyms

Adjective

• cadaverous
• emaciated
• gaunt
• skeletal
• wasted

Examples of haggard in a Sentence

Adjective

She looked tired and haggard.

We were shocked by his haggard appearance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The face that confronted him was haggard and gaunt, its hair and beard unkempt. —Greg Jackson, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024

These are films about a haggard failson trying to hold his life together with the help of a wise-cracking goo monster who longs for the taste of human brains. —Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 24 Oct. 2024

The household in the 1970s was routinely described as a three-ring circus filled with rowdy kids, lost pets and haggard servants who often quit in frustration, saying Ethel was difficult to work for. —Valerie J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024

Moore goes for broke as Elisabeth rapidly ages, flawlessly executing a sequence during which the haggard former star mocks one of Sue's television interviews. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle French hagard

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

haggard

adjective

hag·​gard

ˈhag-ərd

: very thin especially from great hunger, worry, or pain

Biographical Definition

Haggard

biographical name

Hag·​gard ˈha-gərd 

Sir (Henry) Rider 1856–1925 English novelist