scraggly

adjective

scrag·​gly ˈskra-g(ə-)lē How to pronounce scraggly (audio)
: irregular in form or growth
scraggly hills
a scraggly beard
also : unkempt

Examples of scraggly in a Sentence

a scraggly little tree
Recent Examples on the Web A lot of people hate him, but at least one person at Arkham, an inmate named Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), with two-tone platinum hair and a gaze of scraggly desperation, adores him. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Sep. 2024 This kid gorilla leads Kong to a tribe of scraggly hostile apes who are living in a slave society presided over by the Skar King, an evil ape with blotchy red hair who’s as tall as Kong and wields a skeletal bone whip that looks like it was fashioned out of the spine of a sea serpent. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024 There was scraggly grass in one sand trap and wooden blocks and a toy castle in another, evidence of children at play. Cara Buckley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024 Something really touched me watching the video of a scraggly man on the treadmill and a photograph of an old lady sitting on a grand chair grinning from ear to ear. Niha Masih, Washington Post, 18 July 2022 See all Example Sentences for scraggly 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scraggly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of scraggling, perhaps irregular from scraggy entry 2

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scraggly was in 1849

Dictionary Entries Near scraggly

Cite this Entry

“Scraggly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scraggly. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

scraggly

adjective
scrag·​gly ˈskrag-(ə-)lē How to pronounce scraggly (audio)
scragglier; scraggliest
: of rough or uneven outline : ragged, unkempt
a scraggly beard
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!