Rag″ged (răg″gĕd), a. [From Rag, n.] 1. Rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture is broken; as, a ragged coat; a ragged sail.
2. Broken with rough edges; having jags; uneven; rough; jagged; as, ragged rocks.
3. Hence, harsh and disagreeable to the ear; dissonant. “A ragged noise of mirth.” Herbert.
4. Wearing tattered clothes; as, a ragged fellow.
5. Rough; shaggy; rugged.
What shepherd owns those ragged sheep? Dryden.
Ragged lady(Bot.), the fennel flower (Nigella Damascena). — Ragged robin(Bot.), a plant of the genus Lychnis (L. Flos-cuculi), cultivated for its handsome flowers, which have the petals cut into narrow lobes. — Ragged sailor(Bot.), prince's feather (Polygonum orientale). — Ragged school, a free school for poor children, where they are taught and in part fed; — a name given at first because they came in their common clothing.
— Rag″ged‐ly, adv. — Rag″ged‐ness, n.