shaggy

adjective

shag·​gy ˈsha-gē 

shaggier; shaggiest

1

a

: covered with or consisting of long, coarse, or matted hair

b

: covered with or consisting of thick, tangled, or unkempt vegetation

c

: having a rough nap, texture, or surface

d

: having hairlike processes

2

a

: unkempt

b

: confused or unclear in conception or thinking

shaggy ideas

a shaggy argument

shaggily

ˈsha-gə-lē 

adverb

shagginess

ˈsha-gē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• bristly
• brushy
• cottony
• fleecy
• furred
• furry
• hairy
• hirsute
• rough
• silky
• unshorn
• woolly
• wooly

Examples of shaggy in a Sentence

a big, shaggy dog kept trying to lick my face

a shaggy carpet that was a relic of the 1970s

Recent Examples on the Web

Welles, a singer-songwriter with a shaggy, dirty-blond mane and a sandpapery voice, has risen to recent prominence posting videos to social media of himself alone in the woods near his home in northwest Arkansas, performing wryly funny, politically engaged folk songs. —David Peisner, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025

Average retail prices range from $215 to $495 for the line, which includes vibrant jackets with circular-type sleeves, miniskirts and a shaggy wool coat. —Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 10 Feb. 2025

The cropped black faux leather jacket has a shaggy, biscotti brown trim and sleeves. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2025

The London Orbital Motorway, or the M25, is a vast ring road that runs in a shaggy circle around the outer edges of the capital. —Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing shaggy

• shaggy-dog
• shaggy-dog story

Rhymes for shaggy

• aggie
• baggy
• craggy
• flaggy
• scraggy

Kids Definition

shaggy

adjective

shag·​gy ˈshag-ē 

shaggier; shaggiest

1

: covered with or made up of long, coarse, or tangled growth

2

: having a rough or hairy surface

shaggily

ˈshag-ə-lē 

adverb

shagginess

ˈshag-ē-nəs 

noun